New Girl
by they're only words
Summary: Casey's pregnant. What will happen to her and Derek? Can they make it out in the real world?
1. Chapter 1

A/N-Okay, so I know some of you are probably getting a little antsy for another oneshot, and I'm trying to work on another one. Hopefully I'll have it out to you either later today or maybe tomorrow. However, this plot kept bouncing around in my head and wouldn't leave me alone until it got written. This is actually based off of my oneshot "New Girl" for the challenge. A couple of people suggested that I expand it, and I hadn't really planned on it, but once the idea got put in my head, it wouldn't leave me alone. Damn plot bunnies bouncing around. You don't need to read "New Girl" to understand this. If you have read it, then you know what's going to happen. I'm just going into more detail about what happened, and I'm going to go past the end of "New Girl". I'm kind of interested in where this story's headed myself. All the LWD stories that I've read where Casey gets pregnant always have them doing just fine, so I don't know if you guys are going to get pissed at me for screwing things up.

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

* * *

Casey paced back and forth in the living room, desperate for Derek to come home. It was December of their senior year, and Derek was captain of the hockey team. She knew that was why he was late coming home from practice; he had probably stayed to talk strategy with the coach. Still, she was getting rather antsy. Even though their parents had approved of their relationship, she would rather have the impending conversation before they got home. Finally, she heard Derek pull up. She rushed him as soon as he walked in the door. 

"We need to talk, now," she said as she dragged him up the stairs.

"How about a shower first?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No," she replied, leaving no room for argument. She led him to his room and shut the door. She also turned the music on, hoping to drown out the noise of their conversation, just in case Lizzie and/or Edwin were listening at the door.

"So, what's up hot stuff?" Derek questioned. He watched Casey pace around his room, much like she had in the living room. Derek wrapped his arms around her legs as she passed, and tried to lighten the situation. "Working out at a time like this?"

"Joking at a time like this? You're so irresponsible." She pushed his arms off her and resumed her pacing.

"Okay," he said, sounding a little offended. "It's kinda hard to know not to joke when you won't even tell me what's going on."

She said nothing and just shoved a small plastic stick in his direction.

"What's this?" he asked, sounding slightly scared. "It's not what I think it is, is it?"

She looked at him. He sighed. "You wouldn't be showing me this if it was negative, would you?" She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "Shit," he mumbled. "I thought we were okay. You said you were on the pill."

"I was," the tears started to fall from her eyes. "It's not 100 effective. I guess we're the lucky oddball chance."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Derek, I'm sure. The proof is right there in your hand. Plus, I've been sick all week, my boobs hurt like hell, and I haven't had my period in six weeks." She was still pacing and crying.

He pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him, and wrapped an arm comfortingly around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It'll work out, okay? I promise, we'll figure it out. I'm assuming you want to keep it, right?"

"You don't want to?" she asked him, sounding slightly angry.

"I didn't say that. It'll be hard."

"I know. But we'll figure it out, right?"

"Right," he confirmed. He kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

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That night at dinner, neither Derek nor Casey said much. Nora and George looked at each other from opposite ends of the table; they both knew that something was going on.

Nora tried to get them to confess something, anything. "So, Derek, Casey, what's new? Anything at school, anything between you two?"

Casey's head shot up, a panicked look in her eye. She immediately glanced at Derek, who shook his head no, just barely. Casey was the only one to notice it, but that's okay, since that was who it was intended for. "Everything's fine, nothing's new. I guess we're just tired, homework and all that stuff."

"Hmm," Nora said, letting it go for the moment. She would get them later, when the younger kids weren't around.

They finished dinner in silence, then Lizzie moved into the kitchen to do the dishes. Everyone else sat in the living room to watch TV for a little while. Casey sat at Derek's feet, but she kept fidgeting. She seemed unable to find a comfortable position. Derek reached down and began to rub her shoulders, whispering, "Relax, or the 'rents will suspect," in her ear. She calmed down, at least in her body movements. Her eyes still jumped around the living room though.

George put Marti to bed after a little while, and about an hour and a half later Lizzie and Edwin followed her. Then Nora turned off the TV and faced Derek and Casey.

"What's going on? We know there's something, and when you don't tell us, we start thinking the worst."

Casey looked down at the floor, tears already beginning to form in her eyes. Derek spoke, knowing that she wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought at the moment. "It's probably better that we let you think, because then you don't know for sure and you can't freak out on us."

"Derek, tell us. Now," George said in his lawyer-voice, the voice that Derek knew he only used when he meant business.

"I'm pregnant," Casey whispered. Derek was sure that they hadn't heard her, he had barely heard her and he was sitting right above her.

"What Casey? You need to speak up," Nora said, confirming Derek's thoughts.

Casey cleared her throat, then said, a little louder, "I'm pregnant." She finally looked up, and the tears began to spill from her eyes.

"You're kidding, right? We put you on the pill, you can't be pre…" Nora started to say, unable to finish the last word.

"It says right on the box that it's not 100 effective. Of course it's our luck that we're the odd point-something percent," Casey responded, not looking her mother in the eye.

"Oh, baby, I…I don't know what to say," Nora began to cry, and reached out to hold Casey's hand.

George had not said anything yet, but Derek could see him getting angrier and angrier.

"What are you guys planning on doing?" she asked, looking back and forth between Derek and Casey.

"Abortion is definitely out. I just don't think that I could do that," Casey said quickly, looking at Derek.

"Yeah, I agree. That's not something I want. And, well, I did kind of figure that we would get married one day and have kids, so I mean, we're going out of order and skipping ahead a couple of years," Derek said, reaching out and squeezing Casey's knee.

Nora began to cry even harder, pulling Casey into a tight hug. "Oh, Casey, honey, we support whatever decision you make." George looked enraged at this, and finally exploded.

"Support their decision? What is your problem Nora? They obviously think that they're adults, they should be treated like adults. They should move out, get jobs, join the real world. They think they're grown up enough to raise a child, let them prove it!"

"George, it's not like they planned this!" she yelled back at him.

"No, but they aren't taking care of it either."

"Like hell we aren't! We've decided to keep it, it sounds to me like we're taking care of the situation just fine." Derek stood up to yell at his father. This was the first time that George realized how close in height him and his son had become.

"You can't take care of another human, you can barely take care of yourself! How are you going to raise a child?"

"I don't know yet, but we'll find a way. This child is a product of love, and I would die before I gave him or her up! Come on Casey, we're obviously not welcome here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. She looked terrified and turned back to her mother for support.

Nora acted quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "Wait, wait, you can't go out there tonight. You'll never find a place to sleep. Come on, how about we all just go to bed, sleep on this idea, and talk again tomorrow?"

Both George and Derek grumbled an agreement, and went to their separate bedrooms, while Casey just fell into her mother's arms and cried. "Mom, we can't do this. I'm scared. What if we fail?"

"Shh," Nora said, trying to get her to calm down. "Everybody's scared when they find out they're pregnant. You freak out, you're convinced that you can't do this, and that even trying is going to send this poor kid to therapy for the rest of his/her life, and then you buck up and do it. Once you start feeling that baby move around inside of you, you become a little more sure of yourself. You'll do fine. It won't be easy, I'm not going to lie, but this baby will know love, and that's what's important."

Casey nodded slowly, then kissed her mother on the cheek and went up to her room. She was terrified about the upcoming breakfast conversation the next day. She hoped her mother would be able to calm George down.

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A/N-What do you think? If you like it so far, please review and let me know, so that I know if I should continue it or just stop. Reviewers are modern day knights! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-Okay, so I had this typed up and I was actually hoping to make it to at least ten reviews before I posted it, but then I felt bad for the people who liked the first chapter and did review, so I figured I should go ahead and post it anyways.

So, I don't have a beta. And, for a while, I really wasn't too worried about it, because I'm pretty good at catching my own grammar mistakes, but I would like to have someone read over my chapters before I post them, because I'm just overly paranoid that they're shit. Like, this chapter, I don't know if I really even like it. So, if someone, or even a few people, would like to volunteer to read my stories and give me feedback before I post them, I would really appreciate it. Just send me your e-mail address in a pm or something.

Now, on with the story...

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

* * *

For once in his life, Derek Venturi woke up before noon on a Saturday. If you could call it waking up. He preferred to think of it as staying awake, since waking up implies sleeping.

He walked over to Casey's room. He figured that she was probably already up, but decided to check just in case. She was awake, but she was just sitting on her bed, staring at the floor. "Hey," he said softly.

She looked up, startled. "Hey."

"You ready for this?"

She gave a short laugh. "No. But I guess that doesn't really matter does it?"

"No, probably not." He walked over and helped her up off the bed, holding her hand all the way into the kitchen, where Nora and George were waiting for them. It didn't look like they had slept at all either.

"Where are the kids?" Casey asked when she walked in. She wasn't sure if she was ready for them to know just yet.

"They're over at the park. We would've sent them out with friends for the day, but they were grumpy enough about being woken up at 8:00 on a Saturday, so we figured waking up their friends too and then forcing them together would have been a bad idea," Nora explained, while George glared at the two teens standing in front of him.

"So…" Derek began to say, but then stopped, unsure of how to end his thought. He settled for grabbing a box of cereal out of the cupboard and fixing himself some breakfast. He offered it to Casey, who just shook her head at him.

"Casey, you should eat something," Nora chided.

"I don't know if it would stay down," she said quietly, looking at the floor. Nora nodded sympathetically, but still handed her a banana, indicating that she should eat it.

"Well, we talked things over last night," Nora began. Both Derek and Casey looked up expectantly, hoping to be able to read something in either her or George's expressions. No luck, George still looked as angry as he had last night, and Nora just looked tired.

It was silent for another thirty seconds or so, till Casey couldn't take the silence any longer. "And you came to the conclusion that…"

"And we came to the conclusion that, since you didn't plan this, it's unfair to be so angry at you," she glared at George when she said this, "and so, you can continue to live here throughout your senior year. After graduation, though, you have to move out into the real world."

Casey walked over and hugged her mom. "Thank you so much."

Nora just nodded, and George walked out of the house, grabbing his car keys on the way out. She sighed. "He's still not happy about the situation. He wants you guys out. Don't expect him to talk too much over the next six months or so that you're here. So, I guess the first thing we should do is take you in to the doctor, eh?"

Casey nodded, a sad look on her face. Her and George were starting to actually get along. It was almost like she had become his daughter finally, rather than his step-daughter, and then she had to go and screw it all up.

"Do you want me to make the appointment?" Nora asked, seeing the look on her daughter's face.

"Yes please. I think I'm going to go upstairs and rest for a little while." Derek and Nora watched her drag herself up the stairs, looking like it took all of her energy.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," Derek said, finishing his cereal and putting his bowl in the sink.

"It's not all your fault Derek. It's Casey's too. You both had a hand in this. And, I suppose it's also partly George and mine's fault. We shouldn't have gotten the birth control. It made it so that it was okay for you two to…to do what you did. But really, we didn't want that sort of thing happening at all. We just figured it was inevitable, and wanted you to be safe. Guess that worked out well didn't it?"

Derek walked over and hugged Nora. "It's not your fault. We would've been doing it anyways, with or without your permission. You tried to prevent it, it's not your fault modern medicine fell through."

She nodded, and patted his back. "Thanks, Derek, but it really doesn't make me feel too much better. I feel like a failure as a parent. My baby's too young to be having babies."

Derek released her and looked down at the ground. "What if we can't do it?"

"You'll do your best, and he or she will turn out wonderfully. That's what every parent does. It's not like you kids come with instruction manuals."

"Maybe we should. Warranties too."

Nora chuckled. "Life would be so much simpler that way." She sighed. "Why don't you go up and check on Casey? If she's still awake, she'd probably appreciate a foot rub. I know I never turned one down when I was," she stumbled on the word before finally saying, "pregnant."

Derek nodded and headed upstairs. Nora picked up the phone. "Yes, I'd like to make an appointment with the obstetrician? Casey McDonald…mmhmm…"

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Derek gently pushed Casey's door open, not wanting to wake her. He didn't need to bother, though. He saw that she was lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Anything interesting up there?" he asked jokingly.

"No. I was hoping to find some answers, but no such luck." Derek gave he a sad look, and moved to the end of her bed. He picked one of her feet up and began to gently knead it.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you doing that?"

"Your mom said you'd appreciate it. She said that her feet hurt when she was pregnant."

"Oh," she said, then resumed staring at the ceiling.

"We have to tell everyone you know."

"Yeah, I know. I'd really rather not though."

"I know," he responded. "But how would we explain the weight gain to everyone?"

"Tell them that I started eating like you do," she joked, looking at him momentarily before returning her gaze to the ceiling.

He smiled a little. "When?"

She sighed. Derek was surprised she had any air left in her body with all the sighing she had done in the past 24 hours. "I guess we should probably tell Liz, Edwin, and Marti today. Sam and Emily, pretty soon too. Tonight would be best. The rest of the school, I don't really want to tell them. It's none of their business, they don't need to know. They're just going to pass judgment and I don't want to deal with all the stupid comments."

"Okay," Derek agreed, not really caring who knew and who didn't. He knew that most students at their school didn't really approve of their relationship, and this would just make things worse.

He switched feet. He could feel her beginning to relax, so he stopped talking, hoping that she would drift off to sleep, which she eventually did.

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A/N-Please review! And volunteer to read and critique my stories! Reviewers get a free foot rub, volunteers get a free foot rub from a professional! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N-Yay for chapter 3! I would like to thank my beta readers, Jess and Anna, because they are wonderful! You guys make me smile! Thanks so much for reassuring me about this story! And I would also like to thank my lovely reviewers. You guys are amazing! I just love feedback!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

* * *

Dinner that night was uncomfortable again. Nora hoped that this wasn't the beginning of a pattern, but she knew that the next six months were likely to be full of dinners as unpleasant as the current one.

Casey had talked to her earlier, and she had agreed that they should tell the younger kids tonight. George didn't, but Nora overruled his opinion, saying that it was better that they found out now rather than later.

Dinner was coming to a close, and they still hadn't made their announcement. Derek kept looking over at Casey, urging her on, but she kept shaking her head.

"May I be excused?" Lizzie asked. She was done, and was not in the mood to sit around in this uncomfortable environment any longer. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she really didn't like it.

"Not yet, Liz. Casey and Derek have something to share." Nora looked at Casey.

She nodded. It was now or never. "I…uh…um," she tried to say it, but the words wouldn't form. She looked over at Derek, who just nodded encouragingly at her. She took a deep breath and tried again. "I'm pregnant."

A hush immediately fell over the table. Lizzie and Edwin looked shocked, and Marti looked confused. "Does that mean Smerek and Casey are going to have a baby?" she asked, looking around the table.

Casey nodded, staring at her plate as if it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Yeah, Smarti, we're going to have a baby, which means you get to be Aunt Smarti."

She still looked confused. "But I though that people had babies when they grew up, and fell in love, and got married."

George looked up and spoke for the first time all evening. "Yeah, that's what usually happens. But sometimes kids think with their hormones instead of their brains, and they screw up the rest of their lives. Bye-bye college, bye-bye nice cushy job, bye-bye nice house in the middle of suburbia."

Derek glared at his dad. "Smarti, Casey and I do love each other. And we're almost all grown up, six more months and we'll have graduated and moved out. The only thing we're missing is being married, and we'll do that before too long."

Casey looked at Derek, understanding that he was basically proposing to her, in a roundabout way. He raised an eyebrow, questioningly. She nodded, accepting his proposal. It wasn't the most romantic gesture in the world, but she still appreciated it. She understood that he was committing to her, and to the baby.

Marti still looked confused, but now it was more because of her father's outburst than Casey and Derek having a baby. "Daddy, what are hormones?"

Nora glared at George. She wished he would just shut his big mouth already. "Hormones are the reason your father will probably send you to an all girl's school, but you don't need to worry about them right now."

"Oh. Okay. May I be excused?" She didn't wait for a response, just hopped out of her chair and ran upstairs.

"Well, go ahead and say it," Casey said to Lizzie and Edwin.

"I don't know what to say," Lizzie said. Edwin just nodded and pointed in her direction, indicating that he agreed with her.

Casey nodded slowly. "Okay. It's overwhelming, trust us, we know," she looked over at Derek, who was nodding in agreement. "When you're able to process everything, feel free to ask us anything."

"I do have one question," Edwin said. "Are you keeping it?"

"Yeah, we are," Derek said, looking up at his father. He hoped he would be quiet for once tonight.

Lizzie and Edwin both nodded slowly, then headed upstairs, trying to digest all the new information.

"Who else are you planning on telling?" Nora asked. She knew that their relationship hadn't been widely accepted, and she could only imagine how well this would go over with all of their friends at school.

"Sam and Emily. We don't really care what everyone else thinks. They can figure it out when Casey's stomach is a foot out from where it used to be," Derek explained. Casey looked confused. "What?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just weird. I can't picture us with a baby, or even just me being pregnant. It doesn't seem real yet."

Nora nodded her head sympathetically. "Just wait. Now that you know, and now that other people know, you'll start to notice it much more. The morning sickness will get worse, you're clothes will feel uncomfortable, you'll be grouchy all the time, you'll feel hot, you'll-"

"Mom? Really not helping the situation. I'm a little freaked out right now as it is. I don't want to know how much worse it's going to get."

Nora looked ashamed. "Sorry. Just trying to help. You know, kinda give you a heads up on what's coming. You'd probably prefer a book though, huh? Your doctor's appointment is on Monday after school, we'll get you one then."

"We? Are you coming with us?"

Nora looked surprised for a moment, and then understood. "Oh, wow, sorry Case, I didn't even think about it. I though that I would be the one to take you to the doctor, but I guess it'll probably be Derek, won't it?"

"Yeah, I think that would probably be the best idea."

"That's fine. I'll give you our insurance card, it'll cover everything. And some money, you'll probably want to get a book on your way home."

Casey nodded her head slowly. "So, what are we going to do about the room situation?" she asked. She and Derek had talked earlier, and they wanted to share a room, if their parents were okay with it.

"What room situation?" Nora asked, eyebrows raised.

Derek took a deep breath, then said, "Well, Casey and I have obviously stayed nights together, and we're going to be getting married soon, so we were wondering if we could move into one room."

"No. Absolutely not," George answered immediately.

"Why not?" Derek asked.

Nora just looked at George. She was considering their request. She thought that it made sense.

"Because, that's why."

Nora scoffed at him. "That's not a reason, George. I think that they have a valid request."

He stared at her, mouth open. "How is our two teenage children wanting to share a room a valid request?"

"Because they aren't really children anymore. They're having a baby. They're getting married. In six months they'll move out and live on their own. I think it would be just fine for them to start sharing a room now. It's not like everyone in the house doesn't know that they're together," Nora calmly explained.

"I don't want them sharing a room," George stated simply.

"Yeah, well, you didn't want us dating at first either, and that turned out okay, didn't it?" Derek yelled.

"Okay? What the hell do you find okay about this situation? You're 18 and you're about to be a father. You haven't even graduated high school yet," George yelled back.

"Yet, Dad, yet is the key word. I'm going to graduate."

"Yeah, you're going to graduate, but what then? All you'll have is a diploma. What kind of job are you going to get with that?" George stood up to have better yelling access to Derek.

Derek stood up and yelled right back at him. "I don't know yet, okay? But it doesn't matter. You wanted to know what I find okay about this situation, so I'll tell you. I fell in love. I'd say that's a pretty okay thing to find. At least I'm not marrying someone I don't really love like you did with mom."

"That was a completely different situation, Derek, and you know it."

"BULLSHIT!" he screamed. Casey cringed. She had never seen him this angry; it scared her. "You married mom because she was pregnant with me. You were finishing up grad school instead of high school, but at least I was smart enough to wait to have sex until I fell in love. And at least I'm going to get married and stay with my wife because I love her, rather than out of obligation."

"That is not why I stayed with Abby," George responded, voice low. Nora was worried; yelling George she could handle, the quiet one she wasn't so sure about.

"Yes, it is. I saw you two together. You never acted the way Casey and I act. You never laughed, you never touched, you never even smiled at each other."

"Maybe your mother and I didn't have the same type of love that you and Casey have, but we were still in love. We just couldn't make things work."

Derek stopped for a second, smirking. "So you admit that we're in love."

"I-" George started to say, then thought back over what he had said. He sat back down in his chair. "Yeah, okay, fine, so you two are in love, but I still don't want you sharing a room."

Nora gently said, "I think that they should. It's really not going to hurt anything."

"Even if you say no, we're still going to sleep in each others' room. We just wanted your approval, so that you could maybe move Edwin back down from the attic, or store some stuff in Derek's room until we move out," Casey said quietly, not looking at George or Nora.

George looked over at Derek, and saw the determined look on his face. "Fine," he said, knowing that he had lost. He was learning that he should pick his battles.

"Thanks," Casey said, heading upstairs.

"Seriously, Dad, thanks," Derek echoed, following her upstairs.

Nora looked across the table at him. "It'll be alright. I know you're worried, but they'll be fine."

"I hope so," he sighed.

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The next night, Sunday, Casey asked if her and Derek could go to the movies with Emily and Sam. "We'd like to tell them today, rather than putting it off any longer than we have to."

Nora nodded sympathetically. "I understand, it's fine. Just be home in time for dinner."

"Okay, but we might go to Coldstone after the movie too."

"Fine," she agreed, waving her off.

George stood up angrily. "Oh, of course it's fine. We ground them for breaking curfew, or if they get caught in each other's bedrooms with the doors shut after ten, but Derek knocks Casey up and they're in no trouble at all," George commented angrily.

Nora just looked at him. "It's not like we can ground her for an accident."

"Please stop calling it that," Casey said quietly.

"Why? You didn't do it on purpose."

"No, but I'm not a big fan of that term, especially since the 'accident' you keep referring to is a human life."

"Oh, sorry Casey. I didn't even think of it like that. I'll try to watch what I say." Casey nodded her head sadly.

"Okay, thanks." They headed out the door.

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Derek and Casey met Sam and Emily over at the movie theatre. They could tell something was up as soon as they saw them walking towards them. Derek wasn't cracking jokes and Casey wasn't smiling.

"Okay, who died?" Sam asked jokingly.

"No deaths, just new life around here," Derek replied. He was trying to keep the mood light, even though he knew things would probably get pretty ugly once the news sunk in.

"New life? As in, a baby? Whose?" Emily asked, looking back and forth between them, not really understanding.

"Ours," Derek replied, letting go of Casey's hand so that he could slide his arm around her waist.

"Haha, funny. What's really going on?" Sam asked. Derek just looked at him. "Oh, you're serious?" Casey nodded.

"Um, well, congratulations, I guess," Emily said, sounding unsure. "I mean, what do you say here? I'm happy you're about to become a teen mother? Good luck raising a child on minimum wage? You have fun changing diapers, I'm going to go to college now?"

Casey looked hurt. Emily saw the look on her face and quickly clarified what she was trying to say.

"I'm not trying to be mean here, Case, I'm just…confused. You didn't even tell me you were having sex. I thought we were waiting till marriage. We did make a pact."

Casey looked at her. "Yeah, um, you broke that pact a month before I did. Schlepper told Derek. Good try though." Emily blushed and looked at the ground.

Sam was shifting back and forth uncomfortably on his feet. "Well, um, the movie's about to start. Do you still want to go?"

Derek nodded. "Might as well. One last night, because tomorrow I'm going to look for a job and start saving money, I guess." They moved into the line to get tickets.

"Yeah, where are you guys going to live?" Sam asked.

"At home until graduation. Then we're getting kicked out. We'll find an apartment then, I guess. I'm probably just going to find something part time for now, and look for a 'career' when we get closer to graduation." He didn't look excited about the prospect.

"What about the hockey team? You're not quitting, are you?"

He shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "If it gets in the way of my job, then…"

Casey shook her head adamantly. "Uh-uh. This is our last few months before we have to take care of another person. You're staying on the team."

Derek threw her a grateful smile. "Okay."

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The four of them sat through the movie, then went out for ice cream at Coldstone as was planned. Which was a good thing, because Casey was feeling rather hot, and an ice cream cone sounded amazing to her.

"So, would that be pregnancy side effects kicking in already?" Emily asked with a smile as Casey ate her ice cream, looking like she was in heaven.

She kicked Emily playfully under the table. "No. I'm not going to get those."

"Right. And how exactly do you plan on avoiding them?" Derek asked her jokingly.

"Mind over matter. That's what's important."

"Yeah, well, too bad it's his mind that's important now."

"Hey, who says it's a him? What if it's a girl?"

"Please. This is me. I'm having a son." Sam and Emily leaned back in their chairs, enjoying the argument. This was what they were used to, not the Derek and Casey that were all worried about the future.

"I don't think so. It's a girl. I can tell."

"Oh, really? How?"

"Um, hello? It's in my body, I think I'd know."

"Mm-hmm," he said, grinning at her. "You just barely found out you were pregnant yesterday, and already you know the gender?"

"Yes, I do."

"Fifty bucks says it's a boy."

"You seriously want to bet on the gender of our child?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

"No, not really. That's depraved. People don't have kids just for entertainment."

"Well, I know that. It's just a bonus. Come on, Casey, you know you want to take the bet." He held his hand out to shake, wiggling his fingers.

"Fine, you're on. I'm fifty bucks richer."

"So not going to happen."

Sam and Emily smiled at each other. Their friends were going to make it. They had gotten back to normal, or at least what was normal for them.

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A/N-Review! Make today a good day for me! 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N-Whoo-hoo, another chapter! Thanks again to my two wonderful, lovely, amazing betas, Anna and Jess. You guys are my personal heros for this story! Kisses to both of you! Some of you were wondering about Derek and Casey's ages, so I'll go ahead and clarify. They're seniors in high school, and they're both 18. I don't know when their birthdays actually are, and how old they'd be at what time, since the show is never really clear on that either, so I made it up. The first couple of chapters were in December, and I'm trying to remember to put what month it is in the beginning of each chapter. If you get confused, just let me know and I'll explain. And to my anonymous reviewer Brian, I would love to hear your ideas, but I have no way to get ahold of you when you don't have an account. If you want, you can send me a pm with your e-mail address in it, and I'll get ahold of you. You have to type it in like yourname at hotmail dot com though, otherwise it won't show up. Okay, enough talk from me, here's the story!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, and no copyright infringement was intended.

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Two Months Later (Early February)

Casey and Derek were sitting in Nutrition, one of the three classes that they had together. Casey had been feeling nauseous all day. The doctor had told her that most of the morning sickness would be gone after she got out of her first trimester.

The doctor was wrong.

She was now 14 weeks along, two weeks into her second trimester, and she still felt sick anytime food was even mentioned. This made Nutrition an especially bad class to get through. The doctor swore it would wear off soon, and that sometimes it lasted longer if there was a stressful situation. Which there was. Because they hadn't told anyone at school, and Casey was freaking out. She wasn't sure how they didn't suspect that something was up, she had gained seven or eight pounds, all in her stomach. She felt like she was always on tiptoes, just waiting for everyone to find out she was going to be a mother.

Mother. That was still a hard concept for everyone to grasp. They had finally wrapped their minds around Casey being pregnant, but actually being a mother? It didn't seem real yet. Derek as a father seemed even further off.

They were currently watching a film in Nutrition on butcher shops and all the diseases in meats. Derek was rubbing her shoulders, trying to calm her down. It wasn't working. The film suddenly showed a shot of a dead cow carcass hanging on meat hooks, and Casey bolted out of the room, hand over her mouth.

"Is she alright?" Mrs. Payne, asked nervously.

"Yeah, just the flu. I'll go check on her."

"Me too," Emily volunteered. Derek looked at her. "Well, since, you know, you can't really go into the girls bathroom."

"Oh," he agreed. They walked out of the room down to the bathrooms, where Derek followed Emily inside, regardless of what the rules were.

"Hey Casey. How are you?" Emily asked, handing her a water bottle and rubbing her back.

Casey glared at her. "How do you think I am? Is anyone else in here?"

Derek walked down the row of stalls looking for feet. "Nope, just us."

Casey sighed. "I can't take this. I mean, seriously, whenever you see pregnant women on TV they look all happy and shit, right?"

Derek nodded. Along with her foul mood, Casey had picked up some foul language. He didn't really like it, but he knew better than to argue with her in her current state of high hormones and quick mood swings.

"Yeah, well, what they don't tell you is that it makes you fat and crazy and sweaty and cranky. I feel like I'm going to die here. None of my clothes fit right anymore. I'm pissed off all the time. And I just want to thank you guys for putting up with me, by the way."

Emily and Derek both tried to smile, but they looked more liked grimaces. It hadn't been easy.

"It's worth it, right?" she asked Derek, looking up at him hopefully.

"Of course it is," Derek assured her, pushing her hair off of her face. "And besides, the wedding's this weekend. You're looking forward to that, right?"

She nodded weakly. "Yeah, it'd be even better if I could take your last name right away."

"As soon as you feel comfortable with telling everyone you're pregnant, you can," he assured her.

Suddenly, they heard a door opening. Not the outside door either, but a stall door. Derek and Emily leaned out, terrified of what they would see. A set of feet that Derek had somehow missed. Leading up to, didn't it figure, Kendra. The one girl in the school who gossiped more than Emily.

She was standing there staring at them, her mouth in a perfect O.

Derek quickly stood up. "Kendra, wait, please don't-"

"Oh, I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear," she slowly backed out of the bathroom.

Derek and Emily both looked back in the stall at Casey. She shrugged. "I guess I get to take your name sooner than we thought."

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At lunch, Casey ate practically everything in sight.

"Um, are you sure you don't want to slow down? People are staring at you," Derek said, watching as she ate as much as he did.

"They're staring at me because they know. Because Kendra, the mouthy little bitch, went and told everyone. And no, I don't want to slow down. I'm starving."

He looked at her guiltily. "I'm so sorry. I thought there was no one in there."

"It's okay. It was going to get out eventually. It's not your fault that Bitchy McBitcherson faked you out. So stop looking like I'm going to reach over the table and strangle you. Are you going to finish that?" She reached over and took his potato salad without waiting for an answer.

"Well, I was, but I guess now I'm not. Now that you're eating, you need to be eating healthier. That book said that it's important to get lots of vegetables," he pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, when we get home. I'll let my mom cook me up something good, like she's been trying to do ever since she found out."

"Yeah, and maybe Dad'll say more than two words tonight. At least he's stopped yelling."

"Yeah, he pretty much got over that after we got the queen-sized bed and the crib for Christmas. I even saw him looking at some of the baby clothes we have. He caught me watching him, though, and mumbled something about clutter and taking up space before he walked out." Casey and Derek had moved the bigger bed into Casey's room and were staying there, leaving all of the baby things that they had so far in Derek's room.

Sam and Emily sat down next to them. Emily looked at all of the food piled on Casey's plate. "Wow, Case, I was under the impression that the thought of food made you sick."

"It's so weird. Now that I know everyone knows, I'm starving. This little girl sure is hungry all of a sudden," she said, looking at Derek.

He smirked at her. "Please. An appetite like that means that it's a boy."

"Uh, no, an appetite like that means it's a Venturi," she corrected.

Sam laughed. "She's got a point. Your sister eats the same as you do."

Derek shot him a dirty look. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on the side of 'as long as it's healthy it doesn't matter'."

"Yeah, that's a good side to be on," Emily agreed.

"Yeah, okay, healthy is the most important thing here, but so is the money," Derek said.

"Why? Don't you guys have a joint account?" Emily asked, confused.

"Yeah, we do, but…" he trailed off. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Okay, so maybe the money isn't the important thing here, since it will probably be spent on something like diapers. So then it's the principle of the thing."

Casey just laughed at him. He was being ridiculous, but she was happy that things were mellowing out.

George really had calmed down. He still wasn't happy, but he had at least stopped using words like "stupid" and "irresponsible" whenever he talked about them. He would never admit it, but Casey thought that maybe he was starting to like the idea of being a grandfather.

Lizzie and Edwin had finally processed what was going on. It didn't really sink in until Casey started gaining weight. After that, they began to help her out whenever they could. She had stopped doing dishes, and Lizzie went on walks with her every night.

Marti was excited. She couldn't wait to be an aunt. She just wanted to play with the baby. She didn't really understand why everyone was so upset.

Just as George had started to change his attitude, so had Nora. She didn't disapprove, but she was currently freaking out. She couldn't believe it was real. Casey brought home sonograms, and, even though they weren't really clear enough to see anything, Nora began to worry. She was scared that they couldn't make it. Now, Casey and Derek were the ones assuring her that they would be fine, rather than the other way around.

The bell ending lunch rang, shaking Casey out of her thoughts. She picked up her tray and dumped it, glad that she only had three classes left until the day was over.

As the four of them walked down the hall, everyone stared at Casey's stomach. She didn't get it. She wasn't any bigger now than she had been all day, but they were just now noticing it.

Emily glared at a group of freshmen who were staring and whispering as they passed. "You'd think they'd never seen a pregnant women. Like it's honestly that big of a deal."

Casey smiled. She was glad that Emily was sticking by her. She had been worried at first, after her shock at the whole situation in the beginning. It only took a week or so for her to shake it off though, and now she was helping Casey out in any way she could, offering to baby-sit already. Casey felt lucky, she may have been pregnant, but at least she had a good man and a good friend to help her through it.

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A/N-Okay, so for those of you who have read Sarah Dessen's book "Someone Like You," I'm sure you recognized a lot of dialogue and pretty much the whole bathroom scene, but I was kinda stumped about how to do the big reveal, and she wrote it so well, so I just kinda borrowed from her. Review! I'll be your best friend if you do... 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N-Yeah, I don't really have anything to say ahead of this chapter, other than thanks to my lovely beta readers and reviewers!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, or the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" nor was any copyright infringement intended.

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The next day…

Casey paced back and forth in her room. The family was going to the courthouse in less than an hour, where she and Derek would be married. She had never been so scared in her life.

Nora knocked at the door and entered. "How are you doing?"

Casey paused in her pacing long enough to look at her mom, then she resumed. "I'm scared. This is awfully final. You know, till death do us part and all that jazz."

"Well, Case, you are carrying his baby. You're going to be together till death anyways. Even if you guys, heaven forbid, don't make it, you're still going to be in touch with him in some way through your child."

"Yeah, but see, there's a difference between seeing him every other week to drop the baby off and being married."

"Casey, relax. At this point, it's really little more than a piece of paper. You already live together, in the same room, you're having a baby together, and the only thing this is going to do is make it official and give you his last name."

"It's the official part that makes me nervous."

"Come on, sweetie, deep breaths. You'll be fine. Basically, the main reason for you two to get married is so that you and the baby will be on his health insurance if his job offers it."

"That's the reason? What about love?"

"Well, of course, that too, but marriage is really just a legal agreement. You already love each other; getting married isn't going to affect that in any way."

George called Nora from downstairs. He couldn't find his gray tie. She sighed. "Coming," she hollered down the stairs. She smiled at Casey. "Another perk of marriage, you get to remember where everything is." She kissed Casey on the forehead and walked downstairs.

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Derek paced back and forth in his room. He was supposed to be marrying Casey in less than an hour. He wasn't sure that he was ready for it.

It all seemed so real now. When he first found out she was pregnant, he was kind of in denial. Now, though, it was obvious. She wasn't huge or anything, but her stomach did precede the rest of her wherever she went. If he married her, that would just be one more thing to make the whole situation real.

He couldn't help but wonder if they were making a mistake. They were so young. They might not be able to make it. Things certainly wouldn't be easy. They were going to have to work hard. But love was what was important, right? The Beatles said that love was all you need, so maybe they would be okay.

Derek was still pacing, but he was starting to feel a little better. They'd be alright, they were in love, and the money would work out somehow.

Lizzie poked her head in his room. "Casey's really freaking out, and she would probably appreciate you going in to comfort her."

Derek nodded and headed for her room.

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Derek slipped into her room right after Nora left. "Derek, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding," Casey said without conviction as she sat on her bed, making no move to kick him out.

"Yeah, well, who cares? The correct order is supposed to be marriage then baby, but since we screwed that up I didn't think it would be that big of a deal." He sat next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How are you doing?"

"I'm scared. What if we are too young?"

"We are too young. But oh well. We love each other, right?" She nodded. "And we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, right?" She nodded again. "And even if we wait a few more years, we're still going to feel the same way, right?" She nodded a third time. "Well, then, what's the big deal?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't know. It shouldn't be a big deal, but it feels like it is."

"Well, I guess it is a big deal, because marriage is a lifelong thing, but it's not a big deal, because we were planning on being together for that long anyways."

She got up and started pacing again, chewing on her lip.

Derek sighed. "Okay, what's really wrong?"

She looked at him for a second, and then asked, "Would you still marry me if I wasn't pregnant?"

Derek looked at her in shock. "That's really what's bugging you?" She nodded. "Yes, I would still marry you if you weren't pregnant. I might have waited a little longer, but I still would've married you."

She nodded, like she was deciding on something, and kept pacing.

Derek stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, calm down, okay? I love you, you know that."

She nodded. "I love you too." She leaned up and kissed him gently. He left, saying something about calling and double checking on Sam.

She sighed and started pacing again.

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Everyone pulled up to the courthouse in their cars. George, Sam, Derek, and Edwin had ridden in Derek's Pinto, while Nora had taken Casey, Emily, Lizzie, and Marti in the minivan. Everyone piled out of the car and headed up the front steps. Derek caught Casey's hand and squeezed it for reassurance.

Casey had opted not to wear a traditional wedding dress for two reasons. Number one, she wasn't a virgin, as proved by the bump sticking out the front of her dress. Number two, they didn't have the funds to buy a fancy dress. They just wanted to be married; they didn't need a big fuss. She wore a simple blue wrap dress.

They got up to the courtrooms and went into number four. They were a little early, so they sat down in the seats. The judge walked in about five minutes later, and everyone stood up and walked to the bench.

"Okay, we just need the bride and groom at the front. Everyone else can sit down."

Derek and Casey stood in front of him while the others went and sat down. Nora was starting to sniffle a little already. _I can't believe my baby's getting married. I can't believe my baby's having a baby. This is all way too real all of a sudden. They're way too young for this. I wonder if they'd kill me if I stopped the ceremony._ George saw Nora chewing on her lip and reached over to cover her hand with his.

"They'll be fine," he said, knowing what she was worrying about. _But what if they won't be fine? Sure, there in love, but there's more to life than just that. Love doesn't make the world go round, regardless of what the songs say. They're really not ready for this. But, they are adults. I guess I just have to sit back and let them live their lives. It's just so hard._

"Okay, we are gathered here today to join these two in wedded matrimony. Do you, Derek Michael Venturi, take this woman, Casey, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

_My God, she's beautiful._ "I do," he nodded. _He shouldn't have even needed to ask. I'd be crazy to let her go._ He smiled at Casey.

"And do you, Casey Ashley McDonald, take this man, Derek, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

_He really is sweet. He tries so hard to hide it around strangers, but he's a good guy._ "I do," she said. _I just hope sweetness and love is enough for us to get by._

"Derek, place the ring on Casey's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

_Derek was so worried about that ring,_ Lizzie thought to herself. _I still can't believe he asked me if she would like it before he showed it to her. She loves him, what the ring looks like doesn't matter to her. Besides, it was his grandmother's ring. She'd love it even if it was ugly just because it's a family heirloom._

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Casey, place the ring on Derek's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

_I wonder if Casey realizes how much of a sap she's turned Derek into?_ Edwin thought. _He probably would've proposed after graduation anyways; the baby was just a catalyst to make it happen quicker. Derek used to be such a dude, now he's going to be a husband, and a father. That's too weird. Maybe it's for the best._

"With this ring, I thee wed."

_When are Smerek and Casey going to kiss?_ Marti though impatiently as she squirmed in her seat. _After that happens, we can go home, right? These seats aren't comfy at all. Do we get cake? We got cake after Daddy and Nora got married. I hope we get cake._

"Then by the power vested in me by the state of Ontario, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Derek leaned over and pressed a small kiss to Casey's lips. He pulled back, smiling. She said, "So that's really it?"

The judge replied, "Yep, you just need to sign some papers and we're done. You can fill out your name change papers while you're here too, and then you just have to go to the DMV for a new driver's license, and you're all done."

"Oh," she said. She was slightly disappointed. It all seemed so anticlimactic.

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The Pinto pulled up in front of the park. Casey looked at Derek questioningly.

"Well, I know you didn't want a reception or anything, but I still wanted to dance with you. Every married couple should get their first dance."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Casey said as Derek walked around to open her car door. He led her out to the middle of the lawn, and then nodded at Sam, who turned the stereo on and up. Starship's song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" came out of the speakers. Derek slid his arm around her waist and held her hand in his other one. Casey's free arm curled around his neck and played with the hair that hung down.

As they danced, Derek sang softly in her ear. "Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that. Put your hand in mine, baby, don't ever look back. Let the world around us just fall apart. Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart. And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now. And if this world runs out of lovers, we still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now."

Emily and Sam sat on the hood of Derek's car, watching them. "You think they'll be alright? Even though they're so young?" Emily asked.

"Sure. It doesn't matter what age you are when you fall in love. When it happens, it happens."

The song ended, and Derek led Casey back over to the car. He sat down on the bumper, and she sat in the grass at his feet. He pulled her right foot up and began to rub it for her.

"So, what's going on for the rest of the day?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. We decided not to have a reception, because the money would be better spent on things for the baby, and rent, and utilities, and stuff like that," Casey answered, leaning back on her palms.

"It's weird that you're going to have to pay stuff like that soon. It's weird that you're married. And having a baby. It's like you're adults," Emily said.

"Yeah, it kinda is," Derek said as he switched feet.

"Well, here, we weren't sure what to get you, so we combined what we had and came up with this," Sam said, handing Casey an envelope.

"What is it?" she asked as she took it. She didn't want her friends spending money on them when they should be saving for college.

"A bomb," Emily replied, almost keeping a straight face. "Just open it."

Casey sighed and slit it open. Inside was some money, about $800 total, and ten free baby sitting coupons.

"Oh, wow guys, this is a lot of money. Are you sure you don't need it?"

"She's kidding. Casey, don't turn down free money, just pocket it before they come to their senses," Derek said, reaching for the envelope and putting it in his pocket.

"Really, Case, it's alright. We still have enough for college and everything, and you guys are going to need it sooner than we are. And, those coupons are good for either of us, or for Lizzie and Edwin, if you want us to come out with you."

"Thanks guys. Really, this is amazing." Casey climbed slowly to her feet and hugged them both. Derek followed her lead and hugged them also.

"Well, we should probably be getting back. Knowing Nora, dinner's about ready," Derek said.

They drove to the DMV first to get Casey a new license, and then they pulled up in front of the house.

Casey looked down at her ring. "I can't believe we actually did it. It doesn't feel real yet."

Derek reached over and grabbed her hand. "It'll probably feel more real after we move out." He kissed her palm, making her smile.

Everyone got out of the car and walked inside. Nora was in the kitchen starting dinner, Marti was nowhere to be seen, and Lizzie, Edwin, and George were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"The newlyweds are back," Derek announced as he walked through the door.

"Hi, guys. Dinner's about ready, if you want to change," Nora called from the kitchen. Lizzie, Edwin, and George didn't even look up.

"Hmm, glad to see they care," Casey said. She turned to Emily and Sam. "Are you guys staying for dinner?"

"No, I promised my mom I'd be back by seven. She gets nervous when I hang out with you now, I think she thinks you're a bad influence," Emily said. Casey looked upset. Emily didn't notice and just walked out the door.

"I'll stay. Nora's cooking's way better than my mom's," Sam said.

"Cool. Give us a second to put on some regular clothes and we'll be back down."

Sam nodded and took a seat in the living room.

Upstairs, Casey began to complain to Derek about their less-than-warm welcome.

"Well, Case, what did you expect? We told them not to throw us a reception, and you knew they weren't going to get us any wedding gifts, not after the bed and the crib they bought at Christmas."

"Yeah, but a little bit of acknowledgment would've been nice. We just got married and they're treating it like it's any other day."

"That's because it is any other day to them. It's a big deal for us, and it would've been for them too if we had thrown a party, but since we didn't it really doesn't affect anything."

Casey sat down on the bed and sighed. "I know. Maybe I'm just being bitchy again. I can't help it."

"I know, I know. We've all been letting you get away with it, haven't we?"

Casey nodded. At least there was that. They weren't turning today into a huge celebration, but at least her family still cared enough to know that she didn't mean all the awful things she had said and done lately.

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A/N-Review! Please? I'm really not above begging, if that's what it takes! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N-Hey guys! Another chapter! This one is mostly just filler/fluff, so sorry to those who were expecting more. I promise the next chapter is better! To my anonymous reviewer Brian, your e-mail didn't show up. Did you format it right? Because you have to replace all the symbols with words, like at instead of the "at sign" and dot-com instead of .com. As always, thanks to my wonderful betas Jess and Anna, and to my reviewers!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

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Two months later (Early April) 

Casey sighed as she waited for Emily to come out of the dressing room. "Come on, Em, that's the tenth dress you've tried on. My back hurts, and I'm hungry."

"Casey, this is prom. I have to find the perfect dress. Eat some of those nasty dill pickle chips."

"I am, but I'm still hungry. Little munchie food is really not cutting it for me anymore." She had to admit it; she was getting weird pregnancy cravings. She used to think dill pickle chips tasted like feet; now she couldn't get enough of them.

Emily squealed inside the dressing room. "This is it! This is the one!"

"Well, let me see it. It had better be worth it, after all the waiting I've done today."

Emily opened the door. Casey took a sharp breath in. It really was perfect. It was a dark blue strapless dress that hugged her upper body tightly before flaring out into a huge pouf at her hips.

"Well, what do you think?" Emily asked when Casey didn't say anything.

"Worth the wait, but not worth waiting anymore time. Hurry up and change before I eat my hand!"

Emily rolled her eyes and went back into the dressing room to change into her other clothes. "Thanks for coming today, Case. You really didn't have to though. I mean, since your dress is all made and stuff already."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want you to have to come shopping alone. Besides, I did manage to find shoes." Nora had made Casey's dress. She said it would be cheaper, and much prettier than anything they would find in a store that would fit her. Casey had to admit that she was right. It was perfect. It was a red dress with spaghetti straps, an empire waist, and a deep neckline that showed off her impressive bosom. Derek loved it, probably just for the neckline.

Emily paid for the dress, and Casey dragged her to the food court. "Slow down, Casey. You haven't walked this fast in the past two months."

"I haven't been this hungry in the past two months. Everyone else knows to feed me before it gets to this point."

They got their food and sat down at a table, where Casey immediately dove into her burger. "So, do you have any big plans for the big night?" Emily asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Casey.

"No, because that sort of thing is what led us to this situation."

"Exactly. It's not like anything bad can happen now."

"I'm not making any plans at this point, but I can't say what Derek has in mind. I'm just looking forward to having fun."

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Derek and Sam were in the tux shop, getting fitted.

"So, do you have any big plans for prom night?" Sam asked, glancing over at Derek.

"Make it through the night without Casey bitching about how much her feet hurt. Escape unscathed from the terror that is Nora's camera. Have fun," Derek answered, fiddling with his tux. "What the hell is this for?" he asked, holding up his cummerbund.

"You wrap it around, like this." Sam demonstrated with his. "I meant do you have any big plans after prom."

"Yeah, I know what you meant. I rented a hotel room, but that's more to get Casey away from all the crap at home than to try and get lucky. What about you? Are you and Stacey doing anything special after prom?"

"Breaking up, probably," Sam replied, looking at the ground. "She's really not looking for anything more than a physical relationship, which, granted, isn't all that bad, but I would still like something a little deeper."

Derek put a hand on Sam's shoulder consolingly. "I'm sorry, man. She doesn't know what she's missing."

"Yeah, well, whatever. It's not a big deal, right? I mean its high school. It's not like I'm trying to get married."

Derek grimaced. Sam quickly backed up. "I mean, uh, _I'm_ not trying to get married, because I haven't found the right girl. You, on the other hand, found the perfect girl right down the hall, so why wouldn't you get married? You know, take advantage of the fact that she loves you before she comes to her senses and finds someone better. I mean, not that there's anyone better, because you two are perfect for each other, but, uh, you know what? I'm just going to stop talking now."

"Good idea Sam. Give your foot a rest; it's probably sick of all that drool in your mouth."

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One month later (Early May)

"Casey, let's go! Sam and Emily paid for the limo out of the kindness of their hearts; the least you could do is be quick about getting into it," Derek called from his spot at the bottom of the stairs. Sam and Stacey stood side by side; Stacey popping her gum, looking bored. Sheldon had his arm around Emily, and he looked like he was about to explode from all the excitement.

"Derek, quit your bitching. Your fat kid does not make these stairs easy," Casey said, huffing as she made her way down.

Derek smiled at her. He hadn't seen her yet; she had insisted on doing a "big reveal" at the bottom of the steps. He had protested, saying that there wasn't much left for her to reveal, but she had kicked him out of the room nonetheless.

"You look beautiful," he said, taking her hand.

"Thank you. So, are we ready for the prom?"

Everyone cheered.

Nora popped into the room. "Okay, hold on, time for pictures."

Everyone quickly posed together, hoping to get out of the house quickly. Nora snapped off 10-15 pictures then let them go.

They finally arrived at the prom. Casey immediately sat down at a table. "I just want to rest for a second."

Emily, Sheldon, Sam, and Stacey all went off to dance and Derek sat down next to Casey. "Are you okay?" he asked, rubbing her shoulders.

"Fine, just give me a minute."

He rubbed her shoulders throughout the next couple of songs, and then she got up. "Okay, so, do you want to dance?" She held out her hand.

"Duh," he responded, taking it. They moved out to the dance floor and tried to dance. It was a little difficult with Casey's belly in between them. A slow song came on, and Derek slid his arms around her waist the best he could.

Casey tried to rest her head on his shoulder, but gave up when she realized the distance was too great. He smiled at her. "Kid's getting in between us already."

She laughed a little, and then got a serious look on her face. "You don't think the baby will come between us, do you?"

He sighed and hung his head down. She had gotten so serious lately. She couldn't tell when he was joking anymore. "Casey, I love you."

"Derek, I love you, but that doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, it does. I love you, so nothing will come between us. We'll be fine."

She nodded. He brought a hand up and cupped the side of her face. "I promise."

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The DJ came on and announced, "Okay, couples, last song of the night, so make sure you dance it with someone special. And drive home safe tonight."

Casey and Derek had been sitting again, because Casey's feet had begun to hurt. Derek stood up and held his hands out to her. "One last dance?" he asked. She gave him her hands and let him pull her to her feet.

Derek pulled her close and waited for the music to begin. He smiled when he heard the beginnings of Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" playing over the speakers.

Sam and Stacey danced over to where they were. "I put in a special request," Sam said, smiling. "You know you love me." They danced away.

"We have good friends," Derek commented as he and Casey danced.

"Yeah, we got really lucky in that area. Remember how much people freaked out when we got together?"

"Yeah. Ralph still won't talk to me. Sam and Emily never really seemed to care though."

"Yeah," she agreed, falling silent.

The song ended and they moved out towards the limo. Everyone climbed in and Sam asked, "So, where are we taking everyone?"

"Casey and I are headed over to the Super 8 on Birch Street." He turned to Casey apologetically. "I wanted you to have a nice night away from home, but it was all I could afford."

She smiled at him. "That's fine. Thank you." She kissed him lightly.

"Okay, what about you guys, Schlepper?"

Sheldon blushed a deep red and Emily picked at her dress. "The, uh, Hilton, over on Crescent," he finally managed to say.

"Okay," Sam said, leaning forward to tell the driver.

------------

Derek let them into the room. "So, all in all, I would say a good time was had by all. With the exception of Sam and Stacey, who are probably breaking up right now."

Casey looked over at him, surprised. "Why?"

"Sam said that they weren't connecting emotionally or some other girly crap like that."

"Oh," Casey replied as she moved into the bathroom to take her dress off.

She came back out in her pajamas and lay down on the bed. Derek had already changed out of his tux, and he lay down next to her. He leaned over and kissed her gently, and then pulled away. He turned off the light.

"Really? That's it? You take me to a hotel and then just turn off the light?"

Derek smiled in the dark and leaned over to her. "Oh, that is so not it."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N-Whoo-hoo, another chapter! This story is getting to be pretty long. It's a little intimidating to me. So, yeah, I hope it meets everyone's expectations. And, this is the longest chapter so far! Yay! Can't promise super long ones like this all the time though. Umm, nothing else really to say, except that last night I went to a concert and saw Pierce the Veil, Alesana, The Devil Wears Prada, and Chiodos. Chiodos was epic. I'm still pretty excited, in case you couldn't tell. I've been listening to their CD ever since. I suggest you go check them out. Right after you read and review this chapter of course.

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, and no copyright infringement was intended.

* * *

Four Months Later (Beginning of June) 

Casey stood in front of her mirror, trying to smooth the front of her robes down. Try as hard as she might, there was no way they were going to lie flat. She sat down on the bed, giving up. Her stomach protruded out a good deal now. If everyone in school hadn't found out before, they would definitely know now.

Derek walked into their room, wearing his robes as well. "You about ready?"

"I guess. You know, I always thought that graduation would be a lot more exciting than it is."

"Well, it probably would have been, if we weren't moving out and starting our 'lives' tomorrow," he said, using finger quotes to emphasize that it wasn't really the start. For him, their lives had started the day Casey shoved a plastic stick at him.

She sighed and leaned back, resting on her elbows. Sitting straight was too uncomfortable, her stomach got in the way. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It all feels kind of unreal though, don't you think?"

He sat down at the foot of the bed and began to rub her feet. "A little, I guess. It feels more and more real each day. You just keep getting bigger. Each second, practically. I'm afraid to leave you alone most of the time. I'm convinced that I'm going to come back and not be able to get you out of whatever room I left you in."

She nudged him playfully with her other foot. "I can't help it if you're daughter's huge."

"My son, you mean."

A shadow passed briefly over her face, but it was quickly replaced with a small smile. "No, you're daughter. I'm gaining most of the weight in my stomach, it's a girl."

"That's not true; where you gain the weight has nothing to do with the sex of the baby."

"They say that, but if you look at pregnant women, the ones who have boys gain weight everywhere, and the ones who have girls gain it mostly in their stomach."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. And when my son is born, you'll know that you're wrong." He switched feet.

"Thank you."

"For what? The foot rub? Cause I've been doing this for months and you've never thanked me before."

"No, I mean, thank you for being sane. For not freaking out and leaving the country or anything."

"Why would I leave the country?"

"Because you're not ready to be a parent."

"Well, I'm not. That doesn't mean I'm going to abandon you. That'd be pretty shitty of me."

"Yeah, it would. Which is why I'm glad you didn't." She was quiet for a moment, enjoying her foot massage. "Also, thanks for calming me down repeatedly. I've been freaking out about the baby coming, and about the wedding, and graduation, and moving out, and working, but you've been very calm the whole time. You've managed to talk me down during every freak-out."

Derek nodded his head slowly. He had been freaking out, just not in front of her. He knew how scared she was, and that one of them had to be strong. If he hadn't spent years lying about everything, then she might have figured him out. It was also a good thing that Edwin wasn't telling Lizzie everything he had said. Even though he was younger, he had done a good job of listening to Derek's fears. Out loud, he said, "Yeah, well, one of us has to be the voice of reason. I just never thought it would be me. Thank god I'm not all hormonal, or else we'd be screwed."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, at least we're getting close to the end."

"Yup, August third. Two more months of Crazy Casey and we're all good."

"Ha, that's what you think. We're getting close to the end of Hormonal Casey, but Crazy Casey is nowhere near gone. After the baby's born, there's still another year of middle-of-the-night feedings and changing's, then another three or four years of waking up in the middle of the night to crawl into bed with us or bug us in some way. My mom said that you don't get to think clearly until they're at least five or six. Get used to Crazy Casey, because she's here to stay for a little while longer."

"Oh, great. This ought to be fun," he said, rolling his eyes at her again. _Hopefully Crazy Derek stays hidden away_, he thought.

Nora called from downstairs. "Are you two almost ready to go? You're supposed to be there in, like, 15 minutes and Emily's down here waiting for you."

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," Casey called back. "Come on, we should go. We still have to pick up Sam."

Derek got up first then held his hands out to Casey. He pulled her to her feet, grunting as he did so. "That belly of yours is really throwing off your center of gravity. You're so hard to lift nowadays."

"You're telling me. I don't walk anymore, I waddle. I feel like a duck."

He watched her walk down the stairs. "Hey, you do waddle. That's kind of funny."

She smacked him. "No it's not. It's not pleasant at all."

Emily watched them from the bottom of the stairs. "It is a little funny, Casey."

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" she demanded.

Emily sighed. "How many times do Sam and I have to tell you, we're not picking sides. We love both of you, your fights are between the two of you, we are here merely to observe and laugh at inappropriate times."

Nora grabbed her camera and ushered everyone together into a picture. Casey stood in the middle, one hand resting on her huge stomach, while Derek slipped an arm around her waist and set one hand protectively on her stomach, next to hers. Casey threw her other arm around Emily's shoulder, and Emily reciprocated the action. They continued to talk while Nora snapped off 500 shots.

"Good thing all the funny moments come from Casey. I'm not sure my fragile psyche could handle that kind of torture."

"Hey, jerk, stick up for me!" she said, pushing him gently.

"Why would I stick up for you? I'm the one that's been laughing at you most of the time."

"Yeah, well, next time you get to be pregnant, because I'm so not doing this again."

"Come on, Casey, it can't be that bad. Think about all the pluses. A little miracle right inside your stomach. Another human being is living inside of you."

"Yeah, and stretching the hell out of my body. Even if I can get down to the weight I was before, there's no way I'm getting rid of all of these stretch marks. Besides, if you're so excited about the 'little miracle' inside me, then you should get the ankle swelling, sore feet, constipation, and overall moodiness. I don't care what anyone says, this is not magical."

Emily laughed. "Well, at least one thing has come out of this. I know that I'm going to adopt."

"Okay, I think I've got enough," Nora said. She wiped at her eyes and pulled Casey into a hug. "I can't believe my baby's graduating!" She threw an arm around Derek, pulling him into a hug with the two of them. "You too, Derek! We're so proud of both of you!" She released them, sniffling a little.

Derek leaned over and whispered in Casey's ear, "You'd think she'd get over all the 'my baby's growing up' crap, considering she's about to be a grandmother."

Casey giggled a little. "Okay, mom, we need to go. We're going to be late as it is."

"Oh, okay, we'll see you there." She pulled Casey into another hug, while George shook Derek's hand.

"I am proud of you, son. You did the right thing, with, you know, the baby and everything."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just glad that you know now too."

George nodded and released Derek's hand. They stood around awkwardly for another thirty seconds or so before Nora finally let go of Casey.

------------

Derek pulled up in front of Sam's house and honked the horn. Sam walked out on the front step and waved them inside. Derek shook his head, pointing at his wrist, indicating that they were already running late. Sam just waved them in again, and then disappeared inside. Derek sighed angrily and turned off the car. "This is taking way longer than it should."

Casey leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Just chill, okay? It's not like they're going to start the ceremony without us."

"Yeah, sure, says you."

"Derek, hello, I'm valedictorian. They can't start without me."

Derek continued his grumbling as they walked into Sam's house. Sam motioned for them to come closer, so that his mom could take more pictures of them.

"Sorry, dude, I know that we're running late, but she insisted. She said that you're practically her son too, with all the time you've spent over here, so she needs pictures of us together."

"Yeah, okay, fine, but quick, okay?" They stood next to each other, an arm over each other's shoulders, making the thumbs up sign with their extra hand.

Sam's mom, Tina, laughed at their goofiness and took a couple of pictures. "Okay, girls, you too. Just a few more."

Casey and Emily moved into the frame, slipping underneath the boys' remaining arms. Tina took a couple more pictures, and then rushed them out the door. "Go on, now, you can't be late to your own graduation."

"About freakin' time," Derek said as they got to the car. "Now, everyone's good to go, right? Casey, do you have to pee? Because I'm not stopping at a gas station halfway there, it's only a ten minute ride."

"I'm fine, Derek, let's go," she replied.

He didn't need any more encouragement. He turned the car on and made at least ten different moving violations on the way to school.

------------

"Welcome everybody, to the commencement activities for the class of 2009," the principal announced to mild applause. "First off, we would like to welcome our valedictorian Casey Venturi to the stage."

There was much more applause to that statement. Edwin could be heard cheering particularly loud, saying, "That's my step-sister!"

Casey walked, or waddled, to the stage. She leaned into the microphone and began to speak. "Thank you. So, this is it," she paused, looking out over her class. They cheered. "Surprisingly, I don't have much of a speech prepared. I've been a little preoccupied with other things."

A voice could be heard in the audience saying, "Yeah, like becoming a teen mother and dragging down the star hockey player with you."

Casey glared in the general direction that the voice had come from. "Yes, like that. I've been preparing to move out into my first apartment tomorrow with my husband, and we have been preparing for the birth of our first child. Which made me realize, high school, and our adolescence, is really over now. Sure, some of us will have the summer, and a lot of us will be heading into college, but realistically, this is the end. All throughout high school, I'm sure that every one of us has, at some point or another, asked a parent to treat us like adults. Well, here you go. We're going to be treated like adults from now on. Whether we'd like it or not, our parents can't bail us out of trouble any more. In the face of adulthood, I'd just like to wish all of you good luck. It probably won't be easy, but I know that if we try, we can all accomplish what we want. Thank you." She walked slowly back down off the stage, to mixed applause. The section her family was in was cheering loudly, as were Derek, Emily, and Sam, but the other graduates didn't seem too sure if they liked it.

The principal walked back up to the microphone. "Thank you, Casey. Okay, without further ado, let's get these diplomas passed out. Graduates, please rise." Everyone stood and walked in line as their names were called. When Sam walked across the stage, a cowbell could be heard ringing. He turned red, and Casey and Derek turned around to see his mom smiling hugely and waving it. Emily's parents hooted loudly, and Dimi could be heard yelling "Go Emmy!"

Derek and Casey were finally called. She whispered to him, "I should've made you take my last name. I hate being all the way at the end of the alphabet." He just smirked at her.

As they got their diplomas, the principal said to Casey, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You can do whatever you put your mind to." She smiled and quietly thanked him.

"I present to you the graduating class of 2009!"

Everyone cheered and threw their caps.

------------

After the ceremony, everyone headed back over to the McDonald-Venturi house to celebrate. Dennis and Abby had flown into town for the occasion, and Sam's and Emily's parents were invited to join in the festivities.

"Well, my dear, you're looking…round," Abby said to Casey.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, the doctor says that's perfectly normal. That's what usually happens when women carry another human being inside their uterus." Derek snorted, and then tried to hide it by taking a drink of his punch.

Abby drew up to her full height. Derek could tell she was pissed. "Yes, well, I suppose so. I just thought that you might gain weight a little differently, being so young."

"Well, I'm not that young. They used to marry girls off at thirteen and fourteen."

"Yes, but not usually to members of their family."

Derek started to retort, but was stopped by George walking over. "Abby, have you seen what we did with the basement?"

"I haven't seen it, but I've heard about it. It was turned into another bedroom so that _these two_," Derek could hear the contempt in her voice, "could have bedrooms right next to each other. How accommodating of you."

"Uh, Derek, let's go say hi to the Davis'," Casey said, grabbing Derek's arm and steering him away from the conflict. She could hear George and Abby still arguing behind them, although it sounded like they were moving into the kitchen now at least. Having Derek fight with his mother right after his graduation, on the day before he moved out, would not make for a happy first night together tomorrow.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Davis. We're glad that you came," Casey said as she walked up to Emily's parents. She didn't really want to talk to them, but Derek needed a distraction of some sort, and she couldn't jump him with all these people around, so conversation with normal human beings would have to suffice.

"Hello Casey, Derek. We're glad that your parents invited us. We knew that we wouldn't be able to keep you and Emily apart, not on your last night here, so one party would've been missing a guest of honor."

Casey laughed lightly. "Yeah, well, we'll still keep in contact, and she's always welcome over at our apartment." Derek nodded his head stiffly. At least he was listening to the conversation. That meant he was calming down a little.

"So, how much longer do you have?" Mrs. Davis asked, gesturing at Casey's stomach.

"About two more months."

"Do you know the sex?" she asked.

"No, we decided to keep it a surprise," Casey said.

Derek jumped in the conversation, finally. "Yeah, we actually kind of have a bet about it. I think it's a boy, and she thinks it's a girl. Winner gets $50. Not that the money really matters, since it will probably just go to the baby anyways."

Mrs. Davis leaned towards Derek conspiratorially. "Well, Derek, I'd probably have to side with Casey in this bet. One, a woman generally can tell, since it is inside her body. Two, most of the weight seems to be in her stomach, which means it's probably a girl."

Derek just shook his head, laughing. "I don't lose." Derek saw that shadow flicker over Casey's face again, and decided to ask her what was up when they were alone later.

"If you'll excuse us, I'd like to talk to my father for a moment. He's flying back home to New York tonight," Casey said, trying to politely break away from the conversation.

"Of course, dear. Congratulations again."

Casey nodded and pulled Derek over to where Dennis was standing. "Hi Dad. Sorry we haven't been able to talk much yet."

"Its okay, Case. Everyone wants to talk to you today." He kissed her on the forehead. "Besides, you seem so happy with graduation and everything, and you know that's not what I want to talk about."

Casey looked at the ground. She hadn't really told her dad too much. She had sent him one e-mail, telling him all at once that her and Derek were together, pregnant, and engaged. She had lost contact with her dad, and she felt guilty.

"Hey, it's not like it's all your fault. I could've tried harder too. The important thing is that you're happy. You're happy, right?"

She lifted her gaze back up to him, and then glanced over at Derek. "Yeah, I am."

"Well, good. Then I'm happy too. Now, Derek, we need to have a talk. I should've gotten to have this talk before all of this, but it never really worked out. If you'll excuse us," he placed a hand on Derek's shoulder and led him away from the crowd into a more private section of the yard. As they were walking, they saw a very agitated looking George walk out of the house; Abby was nowhere to be found.

"Well, son, I could ask what you're intentions are with my daughter, but seeing as how you've already impregnated and married her, I'd say that's pretty clear."

Derek hung his head. He felt guilty. He didn't really think about how this would affect Dennis. He was hardly ever talked about, let alone seen or heard from, so he didn't really cross Derek's mind until Casey mentioned that she had e-mailed him.

"Well, what are you going to do for money?"

"I've got a job lined up at a construction company sir. I'm starting off at $10 an hour. I know it's not much, but I'm hoping to work up to foreman, and Casey's going to wait tables after the baby's born. Until then, we're going to rely a lot on all of the money we've gotten from graduation presents."

"Well, it doesn't sound terribly stable, but I'm glad that you're figuring things out at least. When do you start?"

"Monday. That gives us the weekend to get settled into our apartment before I have to start working."

"What's Casey going to do all day?"

"I'm really not sure sir. That's the only thing I'm worried about. I don't want her being bored. I suppose she can always hang out with Emily and Lizzie."

"Hmm. Yeah, that's true. There's not really a whole lot she can do at this point anyways. Don't want her doing too much at once and putting any unnecessary strain on the baby."

"Yes, sir, that's what we were thinking. I believe she's going to wait six months or so before she begins to work."

"That's good. Well, it sounds like you have things as planned out as a person in your position possibly could. I'm glad my daughter found you." Dennis held his hand out to Derek, and he gladly shook it.

"Me too, sir, me too."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N-Chapter 8! Yay! That officially makes this my longest story, since my oneshots aren't one story. So, yeah, intimidating. Anyways, thanks as always to my lovely betas, Jess and Anna, and thanks to my reviewers. I love you all!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

* * *

Later that night…

"So Abby really just left? Just because George told her that she wasn't welcome?" Casey asked as she changed into her pajamas.

"Yeah, apparently. Dad said that he told her that him and Nora were proud of how we were handling the situation, she said some inappropriate things that I won't repeat to you, he said if she felt that way then she wasn't welcome in his home, and she left." Derek was already in his boxers, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Casey smiled. "Did you hear what you just said?"

Derek looked at her confused. "What did I say?"

"George is proud of us. He's not freaking out anymore. He's accepted our decision."

Derek stopped for a moment, thinking. "Well, yeah. Didn't I tell you about the conversation we had last week?"

"No. What did you talk about?"

------------

_Derek walked into his old room, where there was currently a baby crib set up and a dresser full of baby clothes. His father was already in the room when Derek came in, just standing still and looking at the baby crib. He appeared to be deep in thought. Derek laid a hand on his shoulder, making him jump._

_"Geez, Derek, are you trying to give me heart attack?" George scolded him._

_"Sorry. Just wondering what you were thinking about."_

_"Just…stuff. I've gotta go." George tried to step around Derek and get out of the room._

_"Dad, wait. What's really going on?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, this isn't the first time I've caught you in here looking at the baby stuff. Yet you keep saying how against it you are. Why? Don't you think Casey and I can handle it?"_

_George sighed and sat down in the rocking chair Casey's grandmother had sent. "I don't know if you can handle it, honestly. This whole situation just keeps reminding me of what your mother and I went through and how hard that was."_

_"What was so hard?"_

_"Trying to keep us afloat. I didn't want Abby to work, because she just wanted to raise you. I wanted her to be able to be a stay at home mom if that was what she wanted. Unfortunately, the bills kept piling up, and she had to go to work. She never said it aloud, but I think she resented me for not being able to provide enough. Even if she didn't feel that way, I still felt like less of a husband for it, like less of a father."_

_"Why? I don't understand. It's not like you didn't try to provide everything."_

_"Yeah, but I couldn't. It was my job to provide it all, and I couldn't. I began to…" George trailed off, looking at Derek sadly._

_"You began to what?" Derek prompted._

_"You sure you want to know? It's not exactly pretty."_

_"Dad, I'm about to go through this all myself. Any advice would help."_

_George sighed and looked down at his hands. "Okay. I began to resent you. I thought that it was you're fault I couldn't pay for everything. If I didn't have to pay for diapers, and baby cloths, and toys, then maybe Abby wouldn't have to work to help pay the bills. I know you think that I didn't love your mother, but I did. She could sense the change in me when I started acting like that, and once she knew what was going on, she figured it was okay for her to resent you too. When I saw how it was affecting you, not having the loving environment every child deserves, I changed my attitude. I realized you didn't deserve the blame; it wasn't like you asked to be born. Then Edwin came along, and Abby just became angrier and angrier. She didn't want kids at all, and then she found out she was going to have more than one. She felt that you kids ruined her life."_

_"Do you think we ruined your life?" Derek asked, looking at George, trying to get him to look up._

_George looked him straight in the eyes. "I'll admit it; I thought that for a little while. Six months, tops. Now, though, I know that you kids are the best thing that ever happened to me."_

_Derek nodded, shifting his gaze from his fathers. "Do you think I'll resent this baby? Do you think Casey and I won't make it?"_

_"I honestly don't know. I hope you will though.__ I'd feel a lot better if you'd let us help you.__"_

_"You know I can't do that. I'll admit it, some help would be wonderful, but I just feel like we've got to do this on our own. We're adults, we've created our own situation, and it's our job to find a way to handle it."_

_"Yeah, but you know that you have money in college funds. We've been saving for you for forever."_

_"Yeah, well, save it for the baby instead. We sure as hell won't be able to put him through college."_

_"Or her," George prodded._

_"Yeah, or her. But don't tell Casey I said that. She can't know I'm showing weakness."_

_"Maybe you should tell her yourself. She might think that you won't want a girl."_

_"That's dumb though. Of course I don't really care."_

_"Well, then, tell her that."_

------------

"Oh," Casey said. She sat down next to him. "So…" she started, but didn't know how to finish.

"Don't worry; I love you, and the baby. Nothing's going to go wrong." Derek put his arm around her shoulder reassuringly.

She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I'm happy that things are working out. Your dad's calmed down, my dad isn't pissed at us, my mom's excited for the baby to come, and we're moving into our apartment tomorrow."

"Yeah, too bad it's not a nice apartment." Derek wished that he could afford a better place for them to live. It made him feel inadequate.

"It doesn't matter how nice it is. It's affordable. Besides, it'll give me something to do while you're at work. I'll scrub the place till it sparkles and decorate it nicely."

Derek nodded his head slowly. He was happy that Casey wouldn't be bored; he just wished she could do something besides clean their rat hole.

"So, you do know that I don't really care about the sex of the baby, right?"

"Well, yeah, it just kinda bothers me sometimes. Like the way you talk, it has to be a boy, because 'the Derek Venturi' would only have a boy."

"It's all talk though. I mean, girls aren't so bad. You're a girl, and I love you."

"Yeah," she said, closing her eyes and laying across the bed. She settled in and went to sleep.

-------------

"Do you guys have everything?" Nora asked again. She was nervous about them moving out. She had asked them the same question at least ten times.

"Mom, if we forgot something, then we're just across town. We'll come back and get it, or you can bring it to us. It's not like it's that big of a deal."

Nora nodded slowly. Derek was standing next to the car, jingling his keys. He was anxious to get to the apartment. Nora started to cry, and pulled Casey into a hug.

"Mom, it's okay. We're just across town," Casey said as she rubbed Nora's back.

"I know, but still. You don't live here anymore. It's a very odd feeling, having your kids move out. You've lived with me for 18 years, and now you're suddenly going. You'll see how weird it is when your kids move."

"I've still got another 18 years before I have to deal with that. So, can we go?" Casey tried to pull out of Nora's grip.

She slowly let Casey go. "Alright, but if you need anything, you'll call, right?"

"Yes, I promise."

George pulled Nora back. "They'll be fine," he whispered in her ear. He nodded at Casey, who got in the car with Derek. Lizzie and Edwin were in the back seat; they had been recruited as the moving crew, since Casey couldn't do much and Derek didn't want to do it all on his own.

Derek started the car, and Marti came barreling across the Davis' lawn over to them. "Smerek, were you going to leave without saying good-bye?" she demanded, a hand on her hip.

Derek laughed at her pose. "Smarti, I'm coming back later tonight to drop off Ed and Lizzie. Plus, it's not like I'm moving that far, I'm just going across town."

"Can I come with to see your new 'partment?"

"Maybe next weekend, okay? Right now we need to get everything unpacked and set up, okay?"

"Okay," she huffed. She was obviously not happy. She walked around the front of the car over to Casey's window. "Casey, can I see your new 'partment?"

Casey laughed. "If Derek just told you that you'd have to wait till next weekend, what do you think I'm going to say?"

"Yes?" she replied, hope in her eyes.

"Try again, kiddo," Casey said, reaching down to ruffle her hair. "We'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Fine," she said, stomping up to where George and Nora were waiting.

Casey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Derek put a hand on her knee reassuringly. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "I guess."

------------

"Well, that's the last of it," Edwin said as he brought in a box. "How much crap did you pack, Casey?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Not that much. I'm trying to furnish an entire apartment here, so I brought enough. Besides, a lot of that is baby stuff."

"How much does one little baby need?" Lizzie asked, walking around and trying to count all the boxes labeled "nursery."

"A lot," Derek replied simply. "A lot more than I thought he would need."

"She," Casey corrected automatically, not looking at him. She gathered all her hair in her hands and pulled it to the side. "Help me find which box has the glasses in it so we can have some water."

Lizzie finished counting. "You're sure the baby needs ten boxes full of stuff?"

"That's just a start. That's not including diapers and stuff like that."

"Found them," Derek said as he lifted a box and carried it into the kitchen.

Everyone drank their water gratefully. "So, how about dinner? Are you feeding us?" Edwin asked.

Casey looked at the clock. It was almost seven; she was surprised he hadn't said something earlier. "Well, I guess we can order a pizza. It's not like we have any food in the house yet."

"You order the pizza and Ed and I will go set up the bed," Derek said, placing a hand on Edwin's shoulder.

He grimaced. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, because I need a place to sleep tonight. Come on," he led him out of the room.

Lizzie sat down on a sturdy looking box. She was examining her hands.

Casey looked up at her. "What? Spit it out."

She looked up at her briefly, and then began to pick at the countertop. It was peeling at the edges. Casey grabbed her hand. "Liz, whatever you want to say, just say it. And please stop destroying my kitchen."

"Are you scared?" Lizzie asked, looking like she felt bad for asking.

Casey sighed in relief. "That's what you wanted to ask?"

"Yeah. I mean, I would be freaking out if I was you, and I didn't know if you would want to talk about it, and you've been really moody lately, so I wasn't sure how you were going to react."

Casey laughed a little. "Sorry, Liz. I haven't meant to be so moody, I just can't help it. Don't be scared of me, okay? You can ask whatever you want." Lizzie nodded at her. "Okay, so, am I scared?" Lizzie nodded again. "Yes," she said, not even thinking about it. "I'm terrified. Derek and I are so young, and we have no idea how to do any of this, but we're going to give it our best shot."

"Do you think things would've been better if you were older?"

"In some ways, yes, but then again, no," Casey said, absentmindedly running her hands down her stomach. "We'd be better off financially, and it wouldn't be so many huge changes all at once. It's all a little overwhelming, and no one else seems to care. Like the wedding. Everyone treated it like just another day."

"Well, you did say that you didn't want a huge celebration."

"Yeah, I know, and I didn't, but a little more acknowledgement would've been nice. It's a major, life-changing event, and it was barely discussed."

Lizzie nodded. "How would things not have been better if you had waited?"

"Well, no one's ever 100 sure that they're going to be good parents, they just jump in and try it, so waiting wouldn't have changed that. And, this way, we still have plenty of energy to keep up with a small child. You've seen how tired Mom and George get after an exciting night with Marti. Things will be easier for us in that area."

"Hmm," Lizzie said. She began to pick at the counter again without thinking. "Well, I know that I can't really give you too much comfort, since it's not like I'm any more experienced than you in this situation, but I think you and Derek will be fine."

"Thanks Lizzie. That means a lot to me," Casey said, pulling Lizzie into a hug. "So, now that we've had our heart-to-heart, is now a good time to negotiate baby-sitting fees?"

Lizzie laughed. "You normally couldn't afford me, but I guess I can give you a discount, since you're family."

------------

"Hey, Ed, hand me that thingy."

"Oooh, technical term, that thingy," Edwin joked as he handed Derek a screwdriver.

"Hey, you knew what I meant, right? Well, then, the name is irrelevant."

"Oooh, a big word too. We're so proud of you, Derek, using big words and being all grown up."

"Hey Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Zip it before I throw this 'thingy' at your head."

"Got it." They worked in silence for a couple more minutes before Edwin spoke up again. "Hey Derek? I am proud of you."

"What are you babbling about Ed?" Derek called from his position under the bed.

"I'm proud of you. You know, you growing up, taking responsibility, all that stuff."

Derek slid out from under the bed. "Well, it's not like I had much of a choice. I kinda had to grow up."

"No, you didn't. You could've left Casey to deal with it on her own."

"Am I that much of an asshole? Casey implied that I would do that too."

"Well, no, I wouldn't think that you would do that, but I mean, it's hard to predict how people will react in a situation this extreme."

Derek nodded, passing the screwdriver back and forth in his hands. "Yeah, it is. I still don't know how things are going to go."

"You don't?" Edwin asked, sounding surprised.

"No. I mean, I know how I want things to go, but life has a tendency to take matters into its own hands. Ideally, nothing will go wrong; Casey and I will live happily ever after, with two or three more kids after this one. Realistically, I'm not sure. Money's going to be tight, and Casey and I have a tendency to bitch at each other over everything. I'm hoping that we don't have a blow out, but I can't guarantee it."

"Wow, I'm surprised. You always seem like you know exactly what's going on and you have everything planned."

"That's because Casey's just as scared as I am, and if she sees me freaking out, she'll lose her mind. I'm the better liar out of the two of us, so I pretend to be okay."

"Well, I think you'll be okay. You shouldn't be so worried. Things always work out in the end. If it's not working out yet, it's not the end."

"When did you get so smart?"

"When I was doing all of your homework."

"Guys! Pizza's here!" Casey called from the kitchen.

Derek and Edwin rushed in, grabbing the plates Casey offered and sitting down on boxes. As an afterthought, Derek got back up and kissed Casey on the forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, laughing. "Animals," she said to Lizzie. Lizzie just smiled. Casey smiled back, glad that her little sister had faith in her.

* * *

A/N-Review! I love reviews! They make me extra-happy! Seriously, after I post a new chapter, I check for reviews at least five times a day, so please review!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N-Yay! I finally updated! I'm sorry it took me so long, thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm not making any promises, but I am going to try to update quicker from now on, because I feel bad about the long waits. So, yeah, as always, thanks to my lovely, wonderful, amazing, patient betas Anna and Jess. And thanks to my sweet reviewers, who always make me smile. Thanks for hanging around!

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

* * *

"Mmm, don't do that," Casey said, leaning back into Derek. He was nuzzling her neck, trying to get her to wake up.

"Why?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her tighter.

"Because it doesn't make me want to get out of bed. It makes me want to stay right here all day."

"Well, that's good. I want you to stay right here all day too."

She sighed and pulled away from him. "We have to unpack," she said, sitting up.

Derek tried to pull her back down. "How about tomorrow?"

She resisted, climbing out of bed. "No, because we also have to go grocery shopping. Unless you don't want to eat."

"That's not an option. Alright, fine, let's get going." He climbed out of bed, then turned around to help lift Casey out.

"Thanks," she grunted. "Shower?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Definitely," Derek agreed, racing for the door.

------------

"Derek, those don't go there," Casey said irritably. "Why do you keep trying to put the dishes in the wrong cabinets?"

He gritted his teeth. She had been yelling at him for the majority of the morning; he was beginning to wonder why he had volunteered to help unpack. "I didn't realize this one was the wrong cabinet too. How many wrong cabinets can we possibly have in this apartment?"

"If there's only one right cabinet, and there are ten cabinets in the kitchen, then how many of them are wrong?" she asked as she grabbed the plates from his hand and put them in the cabinet she wanted them in.

"I was told there would be no math involved in the unpacking process," he growled.

"Oh, right, sorry, I forgot how hard math is for you. You can handle physical labor just fine, but if someone tries to make you think, it's the end of the world."

"You know what? I don't need this abuse. You can unpack the kitchen on your own. I'll go handle the living room," he started to walk out.

"Why bother?" she called after him. "I'll probably just have to fix it all once you leave."

He stopped and took a deep breath before turning back to face her. "Okay, then, what would you like me to do? Since you seem to know where everything is supposed to go, and I apparently know nothing."

She leaned back against the counter. "You can hook up the TV and all that crap. Then, you can sit around and watch it. That's what you're best at. Just try to stay out of my way for once."

He stomped into the living room, cussing under his breath.

"I can hear that," Casey called from the kitchen. "And I hope you can get your language under control before our daughter's born."

"Son," Derek called back automatically. "And I'll say whatever the hell I want. This is my apartment. Even if it doesn't seem like it right now."

Casey walked into the living room. "Our apartment. We both live here," she said snippily.

"If we both live here, then how come I don't get a say in where things go?" he yelled.

"Because you have awful organizational skills. I, on the other hand, have amazing organizational skills. If I let you set things up, we would never find them again," she yelled back, getting red in the face.

"Fine, whatever. You set things up however you want. I'm going to sit around and watch TV, since that's all I'm good for anyways, apparently," Derek said, turning away from Casey. He knew that her yelling wasn't the best idea for the baby.

------------

"Okay, we're mostly unpacked. That just leaves the clothes. I'm starving, let's go grab some lunch and then go grocery shopping," Casey said, walking into the living room and sliding her arms around Derek's shoulders.

He got up out of his chair. "Yes ma'am. You're the boss, we do whatever you want."

She put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you're going to be pissy all day. Because that would be very annoying."

"Well, you know, you are in charge. I was hungry an hour ago, but we didn't go eat then, because you were alright, and you were in the middle of alphabetizing the DVDs. But, you're hungry now, so let's go eat," he grabbed his jacket and the keys and walked out the door.

Casey rubbed her stomach thoughtfully. "I really hope you're a girl, because another Derek in the house would kill me."

------------

"Not that one, it's not as good of a quality," Derek said as Casey grabbed some lunch meat.

"Derek, unfortunately, at this point we are going to have to go for the cheaper products instead of the better quality products," she replied as she threw the bologna in the basket.

"So we're going to be eating food that's one step away from plastic?"

"Just for a little while. We need to save money for the baby." She grabbed a large package of grade D-ground beef.

"Casey, please, not that. I understand that we need to save money, but that's barely food."

"You'll survive," she said, tossing it into the basket. "Maybe I'll do the shopping by myself from now on."

"Why? So that you can buy mystery meat without me complaining?" Derek asked.

"Yes, that's exactly why. I'm trying to save us a little bit of money and all you can do is complain. Would you prefer that I spent all of your money? Would you prefer for your daughter to not have any new clothes to wear? What about diapers? And baby formula, and food, and toys, and-"

"Alright, alright, I get the point. We're broke, the baby's expensive, I got it. Grade D-Hamburger Helper it is then. I'm going to go wait out in the car. I don't want to know what I'm eating," he walked off towards the exit.

Casey sighed. "Okay, so he's pissed. Oh, well, at least I can get the shopping done in peace now." She walked through the aisles, grabbing the cheapest of everything they needed.

------------

Derek grabbed the heaviest bags out of the back of their Pinto, leaving Casey two bags-one that held the bread and one that held the eggs. "Don't want you to strain yourself," he said cheerfully as he headed towards the building.

"Thanks," she muttered. "Try to be careful on those stairs. Don't drop anything. It would suck if we had to go back to replace things that we had already bought."

"Sure. Glad you're worried about my well-being over the groceries. Cause, you know, me falling and hurting myself wouldn't be as bad as if I accidently dropped the milk," he said snappily.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Just get everything upstairs in one piece: you and the groceries."

"It would be much easier if we had gotten an apartment with an elevator."

"This one was the cheapest we could find; we'll survive without it," she reached into his pocket and took the keys out, then reached around him and unlocked the door for him. "Just set everything on the counter, I'll put it away."

"I can help," Derek objected.

"If this morning is any indication, I'd say you can't," she replied as she set the bags down and absentmindedly gathered her hair into her hands.

"Casey, let me help. We're together, this marriage is supposed to be a partnership-as in equal. I can do whatever you need me to do."

She looked at him for a moment. "Fine, you can help by unpacking the bedroom. Just put the clothes away where they're supposed to be. The shirts and dresses in the wardrobe boxes don't get folded, they get hung. Everything that's already folded in a box gets folded in a drawer."

"Casey, clothes aren't too hard. I think I can manage."

"I hope so," she said as she turned around and began to put away groceries.

------------

"Okay, good job," Casey allowed as she opened all the drawers and saw that the clothes were put in their proper places.

"See, I told you I was helpful," Derek scolded.

"Yeah, so you were right. Sorry."

"You didn't need to bitch at me all day either, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Again, I'm sorry. I'm just…" she sighed. "I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm not ready for all of this, and it's happening so fast. I feel like I have to get everything in perfect order or else everything's going to fall apart. I can't control much these days, so I would like to be able to control my house at least."

Derek moved to stand next to her and pulled her into a hug. "I know. It's hard, and everything's coming at us all at once, but it'll be okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise. As long as you promise not to be angry at me for trying to help anymore."

"I promise."

Derek kissed her temple. "Okay. This nesting thing is really killing me."

Casey glared at him. "I'm not nesting. I'm trying to get things organized so that we can live here."

"Casey, I hate to break it to you baby, but that is the definition of nesting. You're trying to make this a comfortable place for the baby to live."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Derek sighed and moved over to the box marked "books" that had yet to be unpacked. He opened it and dug around for a moment before pulling out a book called What to Expect When You're Expecting. He opened it and said, "Chapter Six: Preparing for Baby. Page 113, Paragraph 3-Nesting, and I quote, 'It's perfectly normal to try to arrange things for your little bundle of joy. Commonly, expecting parents will clean their current house, or buy a new one and try to set it up for the newborn.' Thus, you are nesting."

Casey glared at him. "Fine, I'm nesting. But, it's normal. Can I help it if I want everything to be perfect for the baby?"

Derek shook his head and put the book back in the box. "No, I understand. Everything needs to be perfect for the baby because the situation he's coming into isn't exactly perfect. If the apartment is perfect, at least he'll have that."

"Yeah, this little girl is going to grow up with a very odd family. But it's all right, because we love each other, and that's what's important, right?"

"Right. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I think we're normal, it's society's problem if their too uptight. Now, enough serious talk, let's get some sleep."

Casey nodded and climbed into bed without another argument.

* * *

A/N-Review! Please? 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N-Another chapter, yay! I know it's been forever, but I'm just so blocked on everything I've been writing, and I'm sorry. Also, just a forewarning, this chapter hasn't been beta-read. Anna and Jess, where'd you go? Also, for anyone confused about the timeline, Casey's 8 months pregnant.

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

* * *

Early July

Derek walked in the front door and shrugged out of his jacket. "Casey? I'm home," he called as he walked towards the kitchen. He found her standing over the stove, stirring a pot. He came behind her and slipped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. "Smells good," he commented.

She turned around angrily. "Why are you always late?" she demanded.

He took a step back. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"You've been working at Sullivan construction for a month now. You leave here by 8:30 to get to work by 9; then you're supposed to get off work at 5. That means you should be home by 5:30, but you've never come home earlier than 6, usually closer to 6:30. What's going on?"

"Why does it matter, Case? It's only half an hour?"

"It matters to me. Why are you late?"

Derek brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. He took a deep breath and blew it out. "Uh, promise not to get mad at me?"

Casey paled and leaned back against the counter for support. "That depends on what I'm not getting mad about," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

Derek looked at her for a moment, confused, then realized what she thought. "Oh, God, Casey, not that. How stupid do you think I am? Don't answer that. I don't need anyone but you."

Some color returned to her face. "Okay, then, what is it."

Derek looked at his feet. "Jimmy knows a guy that makes fake IDs, and he hooked me up with one. After work, I usually go with the guys to this bar for a beer. Just, you know, to relax."

Casey didn't say anything at first. Derek looked up to try to gauge her reaction, but her face was blank. She took a deep breath. "How stupid are you?!? What is wrong with you?" she yelled. Derek flinched. "First of all, we don't have enough money for you to go and buy a beer every day. That adds up, you know. If a beer costs $5, that's $25 a week, that's $100 a month. We could be using that money for our bills. We are just barely surviving. If you miss air conditioning and cable as much as you say you do, then why are you blowing money like this? Second of all, what you are doing is illegal. Do you want to go to jail? Because you won't do well there. You're too pretty and scrawny to be in jail. You'll be someone's bitch before your first night is over. Third, extending on the jail theme, if you're in prison, how the hell are we going to get by? I'm not working because I'm only a month away from delivery, then I won't be able to work right away after the baby's born, and we haven't got anything saved up. I would have to go back to live with Mom and George while you served your sentence. What the hell were you thinking?"

Derek waited a moment to be sure that she was done. Then he looked up at her and saw that she was waiting for his response. "I guess I wasn't really thinking. I just wanted to feel normal. We would just go and talk about the day and talk about stuff that was going on at their homes. It was nice to just be one of the guys again. I didn't think about the cost or anything."

"Obviously," Casey said. She brushed past Derek and grabbed her coat off the rack.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Emily and Sheldon's apartment. I don't want to deal with you right now."

He walked quickly over to her. "Please don't do this. Don't shut me out."

"I'm not shutting you out. I need time to think. I'm so hormonal right now that if I stay here I might kill you." She walked out the door. Derek walked back into the kitchen and turned the stove off. He sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands. Then, he picked up his phone.

"Hey Sam. Are you busy?"

------------

"Casey! What are you doing here?" Emily asked as she opened the door.

Casey brushed past her and walked into the apartment. "Derek's been being a dumbass. I couldn't stand to look at him anymore. I didn't know where else to go. I can go stay at a hotel if I'm interrupting something," she said as she noticed the candles on the table and the obviously romantic nature of the dining room.

"Well, actually," Sheldon started.

"Don't be silly," Emily interrupted, glaring at him. "We're here for you, if you need to talk." She elbowed Sheldon, who looked at the floor and grumbled.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked. "Because I can go, really."

"No, no, it's fine," Emily reassured her. Sheldon went into the dining room and blew out the candles.

"I'm going to go…somewhere else," he said, grabbing his coat. He kissed Emily on the cheek. "Call me when it's safe to come home."

She nodded at him and ushered Casey into the living room. "What happened?"

Casey took a deep breath and began to explain what Derek had done. Emily sat still and listened patiently, not interrupting except for the occasional noise to show that she was still listening. When she was done, she asked, "So, what do you think?"

Emily took a breath, closed her eyes, and prepared herself for the fallout that would surely follow her response. "I think you may be overreacting a bit." She flinched, and waited. And waited some more. When Casey hadn't said anything, she opened one eye, only to find Casey looking like she was contemplating what Emily had said.

"You could be right, but please explain for me why you think I overreacted," Casey said calmly.

Emily sighed in relief. _I don't know why she's being reasonable, but I'm not going to question it._ "Well, I'm not condoning what Derek did, because it wasn't right, but I can understand why he did it. You two have always been unconventional and have had to explain yourselves to complete strangers before. Now, with the baby, your lives are going to be even more unconventional than ever. These guys that Derek works with accepted him without question, and he enjoyed that, I'm sure. He hasn't felt that way since he met you. Granted, he should've gone about it a different way, but this was the easiest way for him. And you know how Derek is about taking the easy way out."

Casey nodded her head. "Okay, I can see that. But still, I don't understand how he could be so irresponsible and not think about the consequences. We'd be beyond screwed without his paycheck, and he's risking getting thrown in jail just to feel normal."

"Like I said, he just took the easy way out."

Casey nodded again. She sighed. "Do you need a place to stay tonight? Just to think everything over?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, that would probably be best. I still get angry when I think about what he did. Even if he was trying to be normal, it was so irresponsible of him. I mean, we're going to be parents, and he's out pulling crap like that?"

"I know, Casey, I know. Don't worry, you can sleep here tonight."

"Thanks Em. I'm sorry for ruining your night."

"It's alright. I get the feeling I wasn't going to enjoy all of it anyway. Sheldon's been acting really weird lately. I don't know what's going on."

"Maybe he's going to ask you to marry him again," Casey suggested, glad to be talking about someone else's problems.

"No, I don't think that's it. At least, I hope that's not it. I love him, but I'm not quite ready to get married, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I probably wouldn't have gotten married either if I wasn't pregnant. I still don't feel like I'm ready for this, you know?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You always figure things out, no matter how impossible it looks at first. So, have you decided on a name yet?" Emily asked, changing subjects.

"For the most part. We decided on Tara for the first name if it's a girl, but we can't agree on a middle name. He wants Elaine, I want Michelle. If it's a boy, which it won't be, I agreed to Derek Michael Jr."

"That's nice. I like Elaine better, but that's just me."

"I wish it was just you. Pretty much everyone we talk to likes Elaine better. He's gotten very smug about the whole situation. I might have to kill him just to shut him up."

------------

Sheldon pulled up in front of Derek and Casey's apartment building. He didn't know where else to go. And, he thought that Derek could probably use someone to bitch at. Sam was going to college in Toronto, and it was unlikely that he would drive the two hours back to London just to talk with Derek. He walked upstairs and knocked on the door. Derek opened the door with his phone attached to his ear.

"Hey Shel, what's up?" he asked.

"Casey's over at my apartment, and I thought you could use someone to talk to," he explained.

"Come on in," he said, opening the door wider for him and stepping out of the way. "Hey Sam, Schlep's here, I'm gonna call you back later okay? Yeah, bye." He snapped the phone shut. "What's up?"

"Just thought you would appreciate having someone to talk to. That, and I needed to get out of the apartment, because I have never seen your wife look that pissed off. Like, I've seen her mad, everyone has, but she looked like she was ready to break some boards with her head."

Derek grimaced. "Thanks, I needed to hear that. It's very reassuring."

Sheldon grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. So, uh, what happened?"

Derek walked over to the window and crawled out onto the fire escape. He lit a cigarette and motioned Sheldon over to the couch next to the window. "I've been going to the bar everyday after work for the last couple of months."

Sheldon furrowed his brow. "And this is a problem why? I mean, apart from the whole illegal thing."

"Because we don't have the money for me to go out and buy a five dollar beer everyday. And, if I was busted, we'd be fucked, since Casey's not working and we've been living paycheck to paycheck ever since we left home, so we have nothing saved up. It was just really stupid of me, and I should've known better."

"Oh," Sheldon said. He stared out the window.

"What?" Derek asked, after Sheldon had been staring out the window for a minute or two.

"Well, that was really dumb of you, is all. Honestly, I though you had more common sense than that."

"Yeah, I know that it was dumb, but it made me feel normal. Which isn't something I've had in the last three years. Ever since I met Casey my life has been weird, and ever since we got together people have treated me like I'm a freak. When these guys just accepted me and invited me to come hang out with them after work, I jumped at the chance to be one of the guys again."

Sheldon nodded slowly. "Well, there's other ways that you could've gone about 'being one of the guys.' Why didn't you join a bowling league or something?"

Derek snorted. "Yeah, because I'm such a bowler."

"Well, I'm just saying. Alternative options."

"Yeah, yeah," he said.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Emily probably calmed down Casey. You know she's very experienced in hurricane Casey protocol."

"Thank God for that. I don't know what I'd do if Emily ever left or got sick of us. Those few weeks after we first got together when she wasn't talking to Casey were horrible. I thought Casey's head was going to explode." Sheldon and Derek laughed lightly. "So, enough about my problems, since your girlfriend's working them all out for me, how are things with you and Em?"

"Ahh, um, well," Sheldon hedged.

"What? What did you do?"

"Well, do you remember how much Toronto University wanted me at the end of last year? And do you remember how much they were offering me in scholarships? But I stayed here for Emily, yeah?"

Derek nodded. "Yes to all three questions. Continue."

"Well, they still really want me there. And, uh, they're offering me a full ride. I don't know if I can turn them down. I mean, a full ride? I would be so set. No debts after graduation, it sounds like an amazing deal."

"Well, what about Emily? How does she feel about all of this?"

"I haven't told her yet. I was going to tell her tonight, but Casey interrupted. I don't know if she'll care all that much anyway. Lately, she's been kind of distant, you know? Like maybe she's interested in someone else. Which would make sense, because she's meeting all these new people at school, and maybe she wants to try something new. College is an entirely different experience, why would she want to keep the same boyfriend, you know? I don't know, maybe this really is for the best."

"Oh, I'm sorry buddy. That really sucks."

"Eh, such is life. How many people end up with their high school sweethearts for the rest of their lives, anyway?" Derek glared at him. "Except for you and Casey of course, but you were made for each other, that's different."

Derek nodded. They both looked out at the street in contemplation.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N-Okay, another chapter, finally. Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me on this. I know I'm awful about updating, but college is really kicking my ass right now. I know that's not a good excuse, but it's the only one I've got. Also, as a warning, this one's un-beta'd again. I miss you lovely ladies, where'd you go?

Disclaimer-I don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

* * *

"Derek?" Casey called as she shrugged out of her coat.

Derek stuck his head back inside. "Hey," he said softly.

"You're smoking?" she asked, obviously not pleased.

"Yeah," he replied, sounding ashamed.

She put her hand over her eyes and rubbed them, then pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "You know we can't afford that."

"I know," he replied, stubbing out his cigarette and climbing back inside. "I'm sorry. I'm going to quit, I promise." He walked over to her and tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

"You taste like smoke and it's gross."

"Sorry," he said. "I'll go brush my teeth."

Casey nodded and sat on the couch. "I'm sorry."

Derek took the toothbrush out of his mouth. "For what?" he asked.

"For overreacting. Yeah, what you did was stupid and irresponsible and I'm still pretty mad about it, but I could've handled it better."

"Well, I'm sorry too, because what I did was stupid and irresponsible. I already cut up my fake ID. I'm going to quit going to the bar."

"Thank you," she said, putting her feet on the coffee table and closing her eyes.

He walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the coffee table and began to rub her feet. "Nora called and invited us over for a barbeque tonight."

"Oh?" Casey said, not opening her eyes. "Are we going?"

"If you want. I don't really care. I'm sure the food would be good, but if you don't feel like going out, we don't have to."

"No, we can go. It'd be nice not to have to cook for a night. Plus we haven't really seen them much since we left."

"Yeah. Your mom said to be there around 7."

"Okay," Casey said. She shifted so that she could lay down across the length of the couch, and Derek moved to sit at the other end, still rubbing her feet.

"You realize this is our first married fight, right?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't fun. Let's not do it anymore."

"Agreed, but the fact that we worked it out okay means that we'll be fine, right?"

"Right. Why, did you have doubts that we wouldn't be fine?

"Not really, but you were kinda scary last night, when you were yelling."

She grimaced. "Sorry, again."

"It's okay. But hey, shouldn't I be getting some make-up action now?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are you seriously propositioning me like that? You're not even trying hard."

"Sorry, I'll try harder," he said, moving his hands from her feet to her calves and continuing to massage. His hands continued to travel up until they got to her thighs. Then he leaned over and began to nibble her ear. "Better?" he whispered.

"Much," she replied, pulling him into a kiss.

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"Casey!" Nora exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "How are you?"

"Very pregnant. How are you?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. What about you Derek?" she asked as she hugged him.

"I'm alright. Just having fun dealing with a very hormonal wife." Casey smacked his arm. "I mean, having a wonderful time with my beautiful, very tolerant and loving wife."

Nora laughed. "Well, everyone's out in the backyard, come on out."

They followed Nora through the house and out the back door, where Derek was promptly tackled by Marti. "Smerek!" she yelled. "Why haven't you taken me to stay the night at your 'partment?" she demanded.

"Sorry Smarti, things have just been really crazy around the apartment. Maybe tomorrow night," he said, looking at George for confirmation. George nodded his head.

"Okay, you better come get me tomorrow then, otherwise I'm not gonna talk to you anymore."

"It's a deal," he said, ruffling her hair. Derek and Casey went around and hugged everyone.

"You're so big, Casey!" Lizzie commented.

"Thanks, Liz," Casey replied sarcastically. "Because, you know, I needed to be reminded of the fact that I can't walk normally or sit straight at a table." Lizzie laughed at her.

"Casey, when is the baby going to come out of your belly so that I can play with her?" Marti asked, rubbing Casey's stomach.

"See, even Marti thinks it's a girl," Casey said to Derek, who just shrugged and rolled his eyes. "In another month, Marti. But she'll be really little still, so you'll have to be very careful."

"Okay," Marti agreed, skipping away to play in the grass.

"So, you guys think you're ready? A month isn't very long," Edwin asked, sitting back down at the picnic table.

"Well, we've got the baby's room all set up, and we're stocked up on diapers and onesies after the baby shower, so, yeah, we're ready," Casey replied, pulling up a lawn chair so that she wouldn't have to try to squeeze in behind the table.

"Okay, so you've got everything else ready for the baby, but are _you_ ready for it? Are you ready to not sleep properly for the next five years? Are you ready to have a little person looking at you for their every need? Are you ready to be a role model?"

It was silent for a moment while Derek and Casey contemplated everything. Casey began to get a panicked look on her face, and Derek quickly said, "Thanks, Nora, because we weren't worrying about everything enough already without your input."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "It's just a lot of responsibility and I wanted you to be aware of what you're up against."

"We'll be fine," Derek replied shortly.

"I just wish you'd let us help you," George said.

"We've got to do this on our own. Like Mom just said, we're taking on a big responsibility. If we still have to rely on you, it'll be your responsibility and we won't be able to handle it if, God forbid, something happens to you two," Casey replied.

Nora nodded understandingly. She looked at George and said, "I wouldn't accept any help from my mother either after the divorce. I kind of understand where they're coming from."

"I'll still babysit for free, if you guys need it," Lizzie offered.

"Thanks, Liz. We'll hold you to it," Casey replied. "So, enough about us, what's new with you guys? I feel like we haven't heard anything new from you in forever."

"Lizzie's got a new boyfriend," Edwin said, sounding annoyed.

"That's great! What's his name?" Casey asked.

"Sean," Lizzie replied. She glared at Edwin, "And he's a really great guy, if Edwin would stop being so narrow minded."

"He's not a nice guy. He cheated on his last girlfriend, he cheats on all his tests, and he's a spoiled little rich kid. He drives his daddy's BMW to school everyday."

"How old is he?" Derek questioned.

"16. And he's changed. He's promised that he's not a cheater anymore."

"That's way too old for you," he said offhandedly. "Besides, once a cheater, always a cheater.

"That's only a year older than me!" she protested.

Derek stopped for a moment to think. "Well, it's a very important year," he said, stumbling for a reason.

"Derek, don't be ridiculous. Also, going by your own logic, are you going to cheat on me? Because, if you hadn't been caught, you would've cheated on Kendra."

"That's completely different."

"It is not!" Lizzie yelled. "Will you all please just butt out of my life!"

"Okay, no more picking on Lizzie, dinner's ready!" George said, stepping in between the group and placing the plate on the table. Everyone ate dinner in an uncomfortable silence while Lizzie glared at Derek and Edwin from time to time.

------------

"Well, _that_ was fun," Derek said sarcastically as they walked in the door.

"Be nice, they were just trying to help," Casey chastised, following him inside.

"Yeah, well, still. I wish they would back off."

"They're just worried about us."

"Mmm hmm."

"What?"

"Do you think we're ready? This baby's going to change everything."

Casey sat down on the couch. "Just because everything changes doesn't mean that it's going to be bad."

He sat down next to her, then leaned over and put his head on the top of her stomach. "I know. But I don't know if we're ready for that big of a change."

"We've been preparing for it for the last eight months."

"Yeah, but preparing for something doesn't mean that it'll turn out how you planned it."

"I know, but I think we'll be fine. I mean, this baby is you and me, so how could it not be good?"

"I hope you're right."


End file.
